What is good quality in social and educational projects?
Get the take on this interesting question in an interview with Jens-Jorgen Pedersen, Head of Programme at THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS. Learn also about the coming new focus areas of the Foundation and revisit some of the projects that the foundation has supported.
New Strategy 2019
THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS have adopted a new strategy involving support of vocational training. Jens-Jorgen Pedersen, Head of programme, Donations Abroad – Children and Youth, explains what the new strategy implies. He answers questions as to who can apply, what the scope of the programme is and much more.
Polish Association of Roofers, Poland
There is a great need for skilled people who can make the roofs in Poland. Roofers they are called. This situation is something the Polish Roofers’ Association wants to change. Over the next 5 years this organisation will set up several new vocational training centres and aim to educate 300 young people to become roofers. Watch how they do it.
Acta Vista, Marseilles, France
Can young unemployed people learn the ancient skills of masonry? In the French organization ACTA VISTA, they are convinced that this is possible, and for a number of years they have proved it. At their building sites such as the old fort in Marseilles several thousands of young people have received training and have thus been better qualified for a job afterwards. See how it is done in this video.
Fondazione Its Rosario Messina, Milan, Italy
North of Milan, Italy, is the Polo Formativo Legno Arredo vocational training center. Here young people are learning everything about wood-work and furniture making. A new school is in the process of being built. See how vocational training in Italy is developing.
Budapest Catering and Human Vocational Training Centre, Hungary
This vocational training centre is the oldest and largest hospitality and tourism vocational training school in Hungary. The school has just started a new project that is designed to improve the education, strengthen teacher qualifications and increase student motivation. See how the school works in the video here.
FAST, Romania
In Sacele, Romania the organization, FAST runs a vocational training centre. Here young people can be educated in mechanics, carpentry, hair styling and in other areas. More to be seen here.
Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, Hungary
The focus of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta is to create better life possibilities for children and their families in the poorest areas in Hungary. We visited some of the villages where the organization helps to develop the childcare, the schools, to set up small businesses and provides training and education. See how it is done.
Snetberger Music Academy, Hungary
Each summer a number of musically talented children and youngsters come to Snétberger Music Talent Center in Hungary to learn and practice their instruments. They are the stars of tomorrow. See, listen to and enjoy their wonderful skills in this video.
SED and Relevant, Velky Slavkov, Presov, Slovakia
In the towns of Velky Slavkov and Presov in Slovakia two organizations are working with young people in order for them to have a better start in life. The two organizations have a unique cooperation and they get results. Learn more about their work in this video.
Romea, Prague, Czech Republic
There is a need to support young Roma people with their education in the Czech Republic. The organization Romea does this in a special way. Watch here.
Hungarian Interchurch Aid, Kastélyosdombó, Hungary.
In the southern part of Hungary there is a small village with an exotic name: Kastélyosdombó. Here Hungarian Interchurch Aid has set up a farm where poor families get an opportunity for a fresh start. They are taught the basics of farming. The idea is that afterwards they will be able to manage on their own. See how it is done.
Restart Shop, Prague, The Czech Republic
Learn about the Restart Shop in Prague and learn about the activities here. Young people are trained for future work. Irena and Martina are the directors of this project. They also run a unique mobile social service for young people and children in the rural areas of the Czech Republic.
META & CIC, Czech Republic
META and CIC in Prague are teaching young emigrants the hard language of Czech. The youngsters will improve their qualifications and after summer they will enter high school or vocational training centers. Take a look at these activities here.
Botanica Life Foundation, Bulgaria
In the eastern Bulgarian village of Nadarevo Botanica Life Foundation educate children and youngsters in sustainable farming See how they do it.
Naruc, Slovakia
In Zilina, Slovakia a group of dedicated people have been fighting for a number of years to help and protect children that have been subjected to domestic violence. Come and see more about NARUC and its work.
Equilibrium, Bulgaria
The first Early Childhood and Family Resource Centre in Bulgaria was set up in the town of Ruse. See how the children and parents interact in these interesting environments.
Home Start, Czech Republic
HOST – Home Start in the Czech Republic works with vulnerable families. HOST is interesting in the way that it activates a lot of volunteers. HOST trains these people also in a new method called "Family by Play". Get to know the organization and its work here.
Sun Center, Slovakia
In the town Nitra in Slovakia there is an NGO called Sun Center. They have achieved incredible results helping children that have been mistreated, abused or subjected to violence. Sun Center also does preventive work in schools and kindergartens and educates professionals who have to deal with children in crisis. Find out more.
Empowering Children Foundation, Warsaw, Poland
Since 1991 the Empowering Children Foundation in Poland has managed a telephone helpline for children who are in need of a talk with an adult. On any given day around 400 children are given advice, consolation and encouragement. See how this important work is conducted.
Empowering Children Foundation, Warsaw, Poland
Since 1991 the Empowering Children Foundation in Poland has managed a telephone helpline for children who are in need of a talk with an adult. On any given day around 400 children are given advice, consolation and encouragement. See how this important work is conducted.
HomeStart, Prague, Czech Republic
Alžběta Candia Munoz was only 23 years old when she started the organization Home Start in Czech Republic. Since then she, together with colleagues and a great number of volunteers has helped many families with children in need. Watch the fascinating story of how Home Start came in to being such a successful ngo.
Sun Center, Nitra, Slovakia
Watch how Mária and her colleagues work with children who have been abused by their parents or others. In Nitra, Slovakia, at the Sun Center, the children can get therapy and several forms of help.
Hope and Homes, Botosani, Romania
The people in Hope and Homes for Children in Romania are doing a great work in closing institutions, helping families stay together and giving support to the young people who leave state care and try to stand on their own feet. We visited HHC in the eastern part of Romania and got a good look at their valuable work. You can see the video we made here.
United way, Romania
Education, health and integrations are three main areas that United Way deals with, in several different project in Romania. Gain insight in the wonderful work of the organization.
Van Helyed, Hungary
In Hungary Kriszta Bódis and her organisation works among the poorest Roma in the city of Ozd. She and her coworkers help children with their education and the families to support them. There are incredible results and it has made quite an impression in the Ministry for Human Capacities, which also support the work of Van Helyed.
Theatre formation Bis Bard, Rusalia, Bulgaria
The wonderful theater group BIS BARD has a boarding school for disadvantaged children in Rusalia, Bulgaria. Apart from the regular school subject the children are doing drama and different forms of arts and crafts.
Phoenix Speranta, Romania
In Mediaș, in central Romania, Phoenix Speranta Association helps disabled and at-risk young people get the training and personal qualifications that will allow them to enter the job market. Learn more here.
Small Child Development and Support Centre, Poland
If you ever plan on visiting Poland’s Small Child Development and Support Centre, in Poland in the eastern city of Jarosław, be ready for a surprise. Everybody will be smiling. Get a preview here.
The Polish Association for Persons with Disabilities
In Jaroslaw, Poland impressing work is done to help people with intellectual disabilities to train for different jobs. Take a look at the some of the activities.
Equal Chances, Tápióbicske, Hungary
The Equal Chances Foundation is a rehabilitation centre that offers supported housing, employment and job training for disabled young people and adults in Hungary. In a new centre in Tápióbicske it will provide job training and adult education in the agricultural field for young adults with disabilities. Visit the place here.
Salva Vita, Hungary
The Salva Vita Foundation was founded in 1993 to help Hungarians with disabilities. It began by offering the sort of counselling and training that would be necessary for this group of people to find jobs. Today this difficult but successful work continues in new ways.
Socia, Slovakia
In Slovakia the organization SOCIA has established several centers of early diagnostics and care for children with potential of perilous development in order to make the help for families more accessible and more complex in their own environment. See how their valuable work is carried out.
OZ Barlicka, Slovakia
Barlicka is a wonderful organization that does outstanding work in Presov, Slovakia. Here young handicapped people train, study and learn to lead independent lives. See the many activities here.
Together forward, Zielona Gora, Poland
Sebastian and his co-workers provide education, job training and also apartments for autistic youngsters in Zielona Gora, in Western Poland. See the happy autists and their outstanding work in this video.
Equal Chances, Budapest Hungary
Not many ngo's have been active in Hungary for more than 30 years. But Equal Chances Foundation has this claim. They help all kinds of disabled people. Get to know them in this video.
Kocka Csoki, Budapest, Hungary
Visit the wonderful little chocolate factory in Budapest. The employees are youngsters with autism and they like to work with the square chocolates. That is why the factory is called Cube Chocolat.
Asociatia Alsterdorf, Oradea, Romania
How do you help young people with mental disabilities? How do you apply modern methods in the work? Well, watch this video. Emil Cuc and his collaborators in Asociatia Alsterdorf, situated in Oradea in Romania, have their firm take on this.
Podaj Dalej, Konin, Poland
Can a handicapped young person in a wheel chair learn to paraglide? Find out when you see this video about the truly amazing Polish organization, called Podaj Dalej. It works with young handicapped people in the city of Konin.
Karin Dom, Varna, Bulgaria
There is only one place in Bulgaria that provides a combination of therapy for handicapped children, counseling of parents and education of social workers in how to help handicapped children and their families. The institution is Karin Dom, placed by the beautiful Black Sea in Varna.
Phoenix Speranta, Medias, Romania
Even if you are handicapped you can still learn and enjoy life. In Medias, Romania, Maria and her associates have established a wonderful center that gives training to handicapped youngsters.
Ancaar, Bukarest, Romania
State funded training and therapy in Romania are limited for children and young people with autism. Thus it is great that organizations as ANCAAR in Bucharest have established possibilities for this group. Watch ANCAAR in their new building and see the training.
NTF and Czech Street Work, Prague, Czech Republic
For the past few years, people in the Czech Republic have grown accustomed to seeing a pair of wildly painted Mercedes vans driving around between cities and towns in the region. The vans attract the attention of young people using graffiti paintings that ask: “Need someone to talk to?” What was the purpose of this? Find out and see the video about NTF and CAS.
Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
There is no university like Central European University in Budapest, its purpose is to support democratisation in the region, promote the creation of free and open societies and protect human rights. At CEU they also have a unique department for Roma studies, see what they do in this video.
Conference, Varna, Bulgaria
In Varna, Bulgaria a conference for all the projects supported by THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS was arranged in October 2016. Among the topics up for discussion was the question of how the NGO-sector can be strengthened in Bulgaria.
Habitat for Humanity, Sofia, Bulgaria
In a number of places in Bulgaria, the organisation Habitat for Humanity with the help of volunteers builds houses for poor families. Mincho Benov is in charge and he has also started a programme in which micro-loans are offered to families in need of renovation their home. See how this is done.
Habitat for Humanity, Sofia, Bulgaria
All over Bulgaria, Mincho Benov and his colleagues in the organization Habitat for Humanity support families with small loans so that they can make improvements of their homes. See the video about such a family a short distance outside Targoviste.