SPES - Stowarzyszenie na Rzecz Niepełnosprawnych

English Information

Who we are
We are a non-profit, non-governmental, independent Polish organization acting according to respective regulations, taking pattern by the experience of organizations active in democratic countries with long-lasting tradition of social self-organizing.

We are registered, as a charity association, in the (Polish) National Court Register (Krajowy Rejestr Sadowy) with number KRS 14574.

History
SPES Association (SPES is Latin word meaning HOPE in English) began its activity as an informal group in 1986. The registration in the Regional Court in Katowice, took place in 1990.

The initiative to found the Association was born in the circle of people associated in early 80's with Human Assistance Section of The Catholic Intelligentsia Club (KIK) in Katowice (Poland).

What we are doing and why?
We are convinced that families play the superior part in the rehabilitation and education of disabled children, youth and adults. No institution will solve either health or educational problems of the disabled without this prior participation of their families. System solutions based on such a conviction are less expensive and more effective. Therefore we do not need to create institutions relieving families of their tasks but activate the circle and oppose the phenomenon of the handicapped isolation associated with social attitudes.

The activity of the SPES Association is based on volunteers and families. Their presence creates natural environment supporting the people whose suffering is so visibly manifested. They may provide the disabled with their mental and physical efficiency, offering their time and engagement, in growing sense of joint responsibility for their lot.

Our mission
Our mission is to promote relations with disabled and suffering persons, as worth of respect and being the signs of human existence condition, inevitable for social health and balance. We want the disabled to live in the feeling of safety and to experience partner-like treatment, arising liking in society open for the value of limited efficiency.

We aim at providing all disabled persons with professional assistance concerning widely conceived rehabilitation, which, benefiting from all developmental chances of a disabled person, shall increase its possibilities to live freely and self-dependently.

Bridging the gap between individuals' possibilities and social life requirements depends considerably on the activities of the very concerned as well as of their families and friends.

The shape of legislation and social attitudes may create a climate favourable to families' activities within the domain at issue. SPES Association target is to support the transformations in social consciousness and creating a society open to integration through exposing the specific value of the experience of limited efficiency.

Our clients and operating territory
The Association for the Disabled SPES was originally operating exclusively in Katowice. Throughout the year 2004 our activity was, in a direct way, concentrated on over 3,000 people and family circles - especially in the Silesia Region.

The disabled and the members of their families constitute our clients. In particular they are: mentally handicapped children, youth and adults; children and adults suffering from central nervous system damage ("brain damage"); the blind and the deaf ones; people suffering from motorial organs disfunctions ("psychically disabled"); mental disorders persons, their families and many others.

The Association for the Disabled SPES activity description from its creation up till now

Therapeutic Programme (therapeutic club room and camps) - run in 1986
The purpose of therapeutic club room and camps activity is to improve developmental and psychic condition or resisting further pathological processes in mentally handicapped persons' development (33 participants and 23 volunteers in 2004).

The Committee for the Disabled Rights Vindication (1995 - 2001)
The Committee for the Disabled Rights Vindication is an organizational branch of the SPES Association founded in 1995. The Committee tests the life situation of the circle of disabled people and publishes special reports and analysis on this basis (last report in January 2001).

Educational Programme (1996 - 1997)
The purpose of the Programme is to shape positive attitudes among children and youth towards mentally handicapped persons dissimilarity throughout educational comics dissemination.

The Crisis Assistance Center - run in 1997
It renders 24-hour psychological, legal and social assistance in life crisis situations (over 2,900 clients, 6 employees, 8 volunteers - in 2004).

Legal Information Programme - run in 1999
The elaboration and constant updating of Internet WWW page provides our clients with the treatment of legal solutions and qualifications valid in our country within the domain of widely concerned rehabilitation (about 390 person visit our WWW page every month).

Occupational Therapy Centre - run in 1999
The Centre conducts daily social and occupational rehabilitation and therapy for group of 25 mentally handicapped persons (adults) with others disabilities (1 volunteers and 10 employers in 2004)

Contact us!
Should you be interested in details of our programmes, please contact our Society:

The Association for the Disabled SPES
40-048 Katowice, ul. Kosciuszki 46, Poland
tel. (+48-32) 251-73-47, fax (+48-32) 609-93-44
e-mail: spes@spes.org.pl

You can help!
With your help, we can do more and better...

It takes about 195,000 USD a year to cover the costs of our programmes for more than 3,000 disabled people (children and adults) with severe difficulties (mentally handicapped, blind, deaf, paraplegic, autistic, with Down Syndrome and others).

Our administrative cost is about 6,500 USD a year - this is less than 3,5% of total costs of all our programmes.

To put our mission into practice we have to turn to you for your support.

Our bank account: 
Bank Polska Kasa Opieki (Pekao) S.A. II O/Katowice
ul. Warszawska 8, 40-006 Katowice
No. 55 1240 2959 1111 0000 3126 0611

SWIFT:

Thank you from all at SPES Association!

© SPES 1999 - 2010