If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. (A. de Saint-Exupéry)

SOTAS (“Social service volunteers”) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) implementing social activities whose main mission is to improve human well-being, by paying a special attention to education of children and adults. The activity of the organization SOTAS is based on the Christian values.

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

Operational headquarters: Kalvariju g. 159, LT-08313, Vilnius, Lithuania

Telephone, fax number (country code + city code + number): 00 370 52121453

E-mail: sotas.vilnius@sotas.org

Director: Paola Fertoli

SOTAS is a member of:

- AVSI Network (over 60 associations and NGOs)

- UNICEF REGIONAL NETWORK FOR CHILDREN in Central and Eastern Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States and Baltic States (RNC)

- Konfederacija NVO vaikams (Confederacy NGOs for children)

- Vilniaus arkivyskupijos socialinių katalikiškų iniciatyvų forumas (Vilniaus archbishopric social catholic initiative forum)

Objectives of SOTAS activities

- To seek for people’s well-being and their overall social integration, with a special focus on their education 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;

- 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, youth and their families and a social culture based on underlying values and positive attitudes.

Our work method

1) Person is in the center of attention

2) Starting from the positive

3) Doing with to whom the project is targeted and building with them

4) Development of community work and subsidiarity

5) Partnership

Activities

- Social-educational work with children and young people living in a socially unfavorable environment (Children and youth day care centre);

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

- Support by distance programme for children living in difficult situations;

- Search and preparation of the people who want to become foster or adoptive parents, helping them during and after the adoption process;

- Official AVSI (Italy) partner for international adoption;

- Organizing trainings, seminars and conferences and preparing methodical publications for social workers, educators, other specialists and interested people;

- Organizing voluntary work;

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

Sponsors

- Ministry of Social Security and Labour;

- Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour;

- Vilnius City Municipality;

- Private sponsors;

- AVSI (Italy);

- EU funds

(The projects like “The Improvement of Women’s Social Integration Opportunities in Vilnius” (2006-2008); “A Way Out for You” (2004-2007) (EU EQUAL programme) which aimed to help women to return to the labour market, seeking to reduce discrimination that young women experience in labour market; ES ACCESS programme project “Social Reintegration of Children Living in Child Care Institutions” (2002-2003).)

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