SOTAS (SOCIAL SERVICE VOLUNTEERS)

Full legal name :

Socialines tarnystes savanoriai (Social Service Volunteers)

Acronym :

SOTAS

Nationality:

Lithuanian

Legal status:

NGO (Public organization)

Official address:

Mildos g. 11 – 3, LT-10311,Vilnius, Lithuania

Postal address:

Kalvariju g. 159, LT-08313, Vilnius, Lithuania

Telephone number: Country code + city code + number

00 370 52121453

Fax number: Country code + city code + number

00 370 52121453

E-mail of the Organisation:

sotas.vilnius@sotas.org

Website of the Organisation:

www.sotas.org

Contact person for this action :

Lijana Gvaldaite

SOTAS is a public organization implementing social activities whose main mission is to improve human’s well-being, by paying a special attention to education of children and adults. The activity of the organization SOTAS is based on values of Christianity.

OBJECTIVES OF SOTAS ACTIVITIES:

+ To seek for people’s well-being and their overall social integration focusing especially on educating them on different levels – first of all, on the recognition of their value and dignity;

+ To strengthen the family as a primary and the most important environment of personality development, to foster common human values and to provide socio-educational assistance for children and their families who experience difficulties in order that they lead a good life;

+ To encourage solidarity and partnership between non-governmental and public institutions, to create a cooperation network in order to satisfy the needs of people who are in need of assistance;

+ To join in creating a newer and more effective social policy related to the well-being of children, their families and youth and a social culture based on underlying values and positive attitudes.

SPONSORS OF SOTAS:

  • EU funds;
  • AVSI (Italy);
  • Ministry of Social Security and Labour;
  • Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour;
  • Vilnius City Municipality;
  • Private sponsors.

ACTIVITIES OF SOTAS:

· Carrying out social-educational work with children and young people living in a socially unfavourable environment;

· Working with social risk families: providing a social worker, educator and psychologist’s consultation and organizing groups of parenting skills;

· Looking for people who want to become foster and adoptive parents, preparing them and helping them during an adoption process;

· Organizing training, seminars and conferences and preparing methodical publications for social workers, educators and other specialists who provide social assistance;

· Organizing voluntary work;

· Giving an opportunity for students of social work and social pedagogy to undergo internship.

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS CARRIED OUT BY SOTAS:

+ Project of the EU ACCESS programme “Social Reintegration of Children Living in Child Care Institutions”. The activities included: socio-educational programmes for children and youth from boarding school; individual work with the families of the children from foster care institutions; search and preparation of the families to be foster parents; seminars by Lithuanian and Italian lectors for social workers, educators, teachers and other specialists working with children and their families.

+ Project of Vatican Ponticium Consilium “Cor Unum”, “Reintegration of Children Living in Child Care Institutions to the family” Funding was used for continuing to work with children living in custody institutions and their families Project of the Italian Commission for International Adoption “Prevention of Child Abandonment and Improvement of Social Integration of Children in Difficulties” – In cooperation with the Child Rights Protection Service of Vilnius, the employees of SOTAS searched for foster parents and adoptive parents, evaluated and supervised child care and adoption processes.

PROJECTS CARRIED OUT BY SOTAS FINANCED BY EU FUNDS:

  • Project “The Improvement of Women’s Social Integration Opportunities in Vilnius”;
  • Partners in the EU EQUAL programme “A Way Out for You”;

NOW SOTAS IS CARRYING OUT THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS:

  • Working with foster families;
  • Distant Support;
  • Children and youth day care centre;
  • International adoption.