Who are you?
VšĮ “Liuteronų diakonija” was registered in the Register of Legal Entities in 2007. The activities of the public enterprise are based on Christian values.
Objectives of the Diakonia:
- to develop social diaconal activities;
- while following the Christian compassion, to provide material, patient care and other assistance to individual persons, institutions and organizations;
- to prepare and implement educational, religious education and social welfare programmes and projects in cooperation with other organizations engaged in similar activities, and to coordinate their work.
Why are you involved in SEMPRE?
SEMPRE is an international project which allows combining wide experience and contributing to the development of innovative methods of work with the target groups.
In Lithuania, social and diaconal activities, covering experience in work with various target groups, in cooperation with international partners, are intended for finding innovative forms of aid for the socially vulnerable groups.
Participation in the SEMPRE project encourages inter-institutional cooperation and allows bringing together the interested parties for the development of social and psychological empowerment tools.
The target groups selected by us cover single parents and persons affected by addiction. We have experience in work with these social groups and the partnership will help to find new work measures and provide knowledge and confidence to tackle these problems in an innovative way.
We hope that participation in the SEMPRE project will contribute to the improvement of the social services in Lithuanian regions.
What will be the most important result of SEMPRE?
Empowerment is the chosen approach in the work with single parents and people with addiction problems in rural areas.
Who are you working with?
The implementation of the project will be carried out at two different levels. In Lithuania, Regional Coordination Group was established: VšĮ “Liuteronų diakonija” and Klaipėda University. Two Local Empowerment Networks were established in Jurbarkas and Pagėgiai regions. In Jurbarkas we are working together with the Jurbarkas District Municipality, Jurbarkas Evangelical Lutheran Parish Diaconia “Jurbarko Sandora”, and in Pagėgiai with Pagėgiai Municipality and the long-term rehabilitation centre VšĮ “Gabrielius”. The SEMPRE project encourages the strengthening of social services provision in rural areas. Social service providers, such as welfare and public sector organisations, non-governmental and social enterprises, will be encouraged to involve end-users, i.e. members of socially disadvantaged groups – single parents and persons affected by addiction.
SEMPRE in Lithuania
Project Leader Ingrida Karūnienė, sempre.lithuania@gmail.com.