PRESS RELEASE: 60 NGOs will benefit from support to develop social services for the elderly
Caritas Romania Confederation, in partnership with Four Change Association, FSC Community Support Foundation and Caritas Mitropolitan Greek-Catholic Blaj, have launched the project “SenioriNET Federation – Stronger NGOs to support the elderly in Romania!” during an online conference.
The online event brought together representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, of DGASPC, Foundations and Associations both interested and concerned about the challenges within the social assistance field, with focus on addressing the needs of the Romanian seniors.
During the conference the project carried out with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania was presented, a programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021. “SenioriNET Federation – Stronger NGOs to support the elderly in Romania!” aims at increasing the representation capability of 60 NGOs providers of socio-medical services for the elderly, by formalizing the SenioriNET network, in view of systemic changes of the social policies regarding the elderly, mainly in terms of funding the services by public funds.
Among the speakers addressing a message to the participants, was also Mr. Makkai Péter János, State Secretary with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection praises the initiative of the civil society to identify and implement solutions in order to develop the social services for the elderly, to improve them and to increase the number of professionals in the social assistance field.
SenioriNET Federation’s project – Stronger NGOs to support the elderly in Romania! has an implementation interval of 32 months with the eligible estimated cost of EUR 263,383.97. The opportunity of bringing together the organizations, providers of social and socio-medical services for the elderly, can be accomplished due to a EUR 247,229.17 grant, obtained through Active Citizens Fund Romania (AFC), funding programme for the nongovernmental organizations.
The SenoriNET network, established in 2013, currently includes 41 NGOs, providers of social services for the elderly, and already has a record of durable results, but has also faced many challenges in time. Mariana Oancea, SenioriNET network manager, said that one of the hardest challenges in the past years, faced by the member organizations, was the scarceness and discontinuous funding of the services provided to the elderly. Doina Crângașu, Project Manager: We have the chance for a new beginning and we are ready to plan the network’s future.
As through this project the initiators aim to increase the capability of SenoriNET member organizations of carrying out advocacy actions, in view of contracting social and medical services for the elderly, possible solutions were presented: the Contracting model for services addressed to the elderly (Aurelia Pasăre, President of Four Change Association).
You may read here the Post event Release
Topics and presentations
- SenioriNet Network: Past – Present – Future
Doina Crângașu, Project manager; Mariana Oancea, SenioriNet Network Responsible
- Reforms related to the elderly care
Makkai Péter János, Secretary of State, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection
- From national policies and strategies to the local reality. Good practices in providing assistance and care to the elderly in Romania, challenges faced by local services providers
Aurelia Pasăre, President Four Change Association (South Muntenia Region)
Gabriela Achihăi, President FSC Community Support Foundation Bacău (East Region)
Nicoleta Palcu, Socio-medical care coordinator, Caritas Blaj (Centre Region)
- Suggested solutions. A Model for contracting services addressed to the elderly
Aurelia Pasăre, President Four Change Association
- Perspectives: Ways for building together the sustainability of NGOs providing services to the elderly in Romania
Adriana Popescu, Strategic planning expert
Working together for an inclusive Europe.
The content of this material does not necessarily reflect the official position of the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021; for more information visit www.eeagrants.org.
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The Active Citizens Fund Romania programme is funded through the EEA Grants 2014-2021. The overall objective of the Grants is to reduce economic and social disparities, and to strengthen bilateral relations between 15 beneficiary countries and the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The programme is administrated by a consortium composed of Civil Society Development Foundation, Romanian Environmental Partnership Foundation, Resource Center for Roma communities, PACT Foundation and Frivillighet Norge, acting as Fund Operator design by FMO- Financial Mechanism Office of EEA and Norway Grants. The objectives of the Active Citizens Fund Romania are to strengthen civil society and active citizenship and to empower vulnerable groups. With a total allocation of 46.000.000 euro, the programme pursues a long-term development of the civil society sector sustainability and capacity, stepping up its role in promoting democratic participation, active citizenship and human rights, while strengthening bilateral relations with organizations from the Donor States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. For more information about the Active Citizens Fund in Romania, please go to www.activecitizensfund.ro. For more information about the EEA and Norway Grants, go to www.eeagrants.ro.