Perspective Educational Centre

The founder of the Perspective Educational Centre is the Social Foundation of

Beregovo (today ADVANCE Transcarpathian Advocacy and Development Centre).
The Educational Ministry of Ukraine granted the operational permission in 2007, and accredited the computer user and social workers courses.
The first classroom was equipped with 15 computers with the financial assistance of HEKS. Within the framework of the Tacis program 20 new computers were purchased.
By the end of July, 2007 39 unemployed and disabled persons graduated the accredited, and 47 the basic computer courses. The Educational Centre is in close cooperation with state institutions. The Employment office of the county has already sent 4 groups of unemployed people for vocational training of computer studies.
Between 2005-2007 a total of 106 unemployed graduated our courses.

Perspective Educational Centre provides the following courses:

1) Basic computer courses

• 72 lessons, twice a week, 3 months, Windows, Word, Excel, Outlook Express
• Free of charge for unemployed and disabled persons (with the financial support of EU)
• Ukrainian and Hungarian groups

2) Computer user course

• accredited
• vocational training
• 472 lessons
• Additional subjects (typewriting, basics of labour law, market economy, job searching)
• Personal consultation
• Free of charge for disabled, unemployed and roma persons (with the financial support of EU)

3) Ukrainian language course

• Basic level (36 lessons)
• Advanced level (68 lessons)
• For Hungarians by nationality

4) Typewriting course

• Free of charge for poor-seeing people
• Both in Hungarian and Ukrainian language (with the financial support of HEKS)

The Educational Ministry of Ukraine accredited the social vocational training course. One course can provide certification for 30 students. The vocational course is compiled of 318 lessons. The first applicants are the collaborators of the Social Department of District of Berehovo and Irsava. In addition to the compulsory subjects allotted by the state, the participants get facilities to learn the scope of activities and duties of a social assistant. The experts of Hungarian Interchurch Aid will provide the professional background to this element. In the future the course will be expanded for the other districts of the county as well.

Social and Children Programs

Supporting the people living in socially disadvantaged conditions is one of the general objectives of the Foundation. In Berehovo and in its district live 69 poor seeing people. Most of them are not able to find a job due to their disability. They are disposed to participate at courses that give opportunity to be able to work even at home. That is why the Foundation commenced shorthand course for poor seeing people in the frame of equal opportunity. Those young women who gave birth to a child and after the maternity leave did not returned to their work are eliminated from the labour market and are in a multiple disadvantaged situation. In order to enhance their chances the Foundation started a new activity. The aim of the program: to teach the participants of the training how to reclaim their self-confidence, competitiveness, get to know their abilities, learn how to search a job and support them to reintegrate into the labour market in the terms of gender equality.

Twice a week group activities are taken place by the leading of an educator for the socially disadvantaged children hanging around the streets. The improvement of creativity is an important element of each activity held in the children's group of the Foundation. After the meal pedagogical creative work is going on which develops the children's listening-, writing-, reading-, and speaking skills. The members of the group are visiting the thermal baths of our town for no charge. In the summer holidays the foundation organizes different interesting programs.

The Foundation supports the day-care centre of Sandor Petofi Pensioners' Club which is operating in the building of the Social Centre of Berehovo. In the club the visitors discuss their every day problems and get the possibility to try out other useful ways of passing the time (e.g. reading, solving crosswords, playing chess, watching TV programs, drinking coffee or tea, etc.). On every second Tuesday a volunteer physician receives the members of the club and consults them on their medical problems. Our collaborators help to solve social and legal questions concerning pensioners (e.g. in order to accelerate their office work our colleagues make free photocopies and help the pensioners to fill in the forms). For the moment the Pensioners' Club consists of 200 members. Most of them regularly attend the activities.

Supporting civil initiations

APRODEV - Capacity Building Programme

Association of World Council of Churches related Development Organisations in Europe (APRODEV - Brussels) initiated the Capacity Building Programme for its partner CSOs in Eastern-Europe and Central-Asia in 2004. The aim of the regional workshops, trainings, study visits was to get acquainted the participants with the functioning of the EU institutions, applicational possibilities, and to support the efficient cooperation. This programme play and essential part in enhancing the capacity of our foundation and the partner organisations.

Establishing a regional, later national network with the NGOs of similar field of operation to the Aprodev partners' is relevant task of the Eastern-European platform. The general objective of the network is to get acquainted the members with the tender possibilities and methodology, the institutions of the EU and their functioning. The trainings and forums of the platform will be observed with the assistance of Aprodev.

More details at APRODEV's website.