We are VERY happy to announce that Sunbeam has received a grant for €40,000 ($52,000). In addition, donors from American recently gave $12,000 (€9,250) for the completion of renovations on one group room. Based upon these funds, we hope to have children in the program on Dec 1.
There is still a lot of work to do on the building (2nd group room, offices, kitchen, guest flat, outside, etc), but this will allow us to open the first group room and staff up.
This grant is from the Estonian National Foundation of Civil Society (NFCS). It is for the development and launch of Sunbeam’s program of providing day care service for children with disabilities. Sunbeam applied for the grant in cooperation with the Estonian Council of Churches.
Here is some more information about the grant:
The grant funds are for the implementation of the project, improving the quality of and access to services, and ensuring sustainability of financial support according to the business plan and budget.
The duration of the project is Nov 1, 2012 – Jan 1, 2014.
Objectives
- Provision of day care services for children with severe and profound disabilities in Ida-Viru County [which is the region including Jõhvi, in North-east Estonia]
- To help provide the opportunity for parents and guardians to work as well as have time to relax, reducing the daily stress of raising children with special needs
- Organize training programs, to help provide individualized home schooling plans, in conjunction with local schools
- Support and counseling of parents and caregivers
Activities
- Organizing child care services in the first group room (7-10 children to begin)
- Conduct seminars and round-table discussions in cooperation with parents, partners and health care experts
- Organize summer camp for children and parents in the summer of 2013
- Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with local governments, schools, rehabilitation centers, as well as with other organizations that serve families (for example, support groups for people with special needs, counseling centers, labor exchange, etc.)
- Provide necessary literature and information materials for parents; provide necessary information on the Sunbeam website.
The following partners and co-financiers are prepared to support the implementation of the project:
- Jõhvi Parish
- Mäetaguse Parish
- Vaivara Parish
- Ida-Virumaa Disabled People Union
- Camp Gideon
The project’s total budget is €45,420, of which €39,977 comes from NFCS and €5,443 from partners (including €1,368 volunteer labor and in-kind donations)
The budget of the grant includes:
- Childcare facilities
- Educational materials
- Craft materials
- Staff salaries (project manager, two tutors, one assistant, a part-time bookkeeper)
- Partial utilities
- Events and seminars
- Equipment: TV and home cinema center, refrigerator, laptop, small portable stereo, lockable metal cabinet (for documents of children) and an overhead projector.
The project management, roles and responsibilities are divided between Estonian Council of Churches (Sunbeam’s umbrella organization during this project ) and Sunbeam.
