Občianske združenie PRO VIDA
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Mission Statement
PROBLEM: It is a human right for a child to grow up “in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding” (UNHCR, 1989). Yet almost 3,500 children in Slovakia do not grow up in their families but in centres for children and families (formerly "children's homes"). They have many traumatic experiences from their biological families, and institutional care cannot give them what they need the most: a close trusting relationship with an adult who spends time with them individually and is not paid to do so. Once they leave the centres, they often live on the edge of society. SOLUTION: Program BUDDY supports children and young people who cannot grow up in their own families and complements the foster care system. Program BUDDY finds, selects and connects volunteers with children from children’s centres, and then provides them with continuous expert psychologist support. The volunteer provides the most valuable resource, their time. When children spend free one-on-one time with their volunteer, they can build a relationship based on trust. This relationship is healing and provides the basis for meeting the individual needs of the child and support as they are finding their place in society. BUDDY is evidence based and applies the scientific principles of attachment theory, an internationally recognized diagnostic and treatment approach for traumatised children growing up in dysfunctional families. IMPACT: BUDDY has a strong focus on child protection, quality, impact and research. Results of an independent evaluation in 2018 found that BUDDY creates and maintains strong relationships, which then enable the child’s development. Our data shows that children in the BUDDY program manage to find housing and jobs, we see improvement in their mental health, behaviour or ability to trust, among others. They feel less lonely and have gained a person in their life they can trust and rely on. VISION: Our vision is that every child not growing up in their own family has at least one person they can trust, and can lead an independent life with dignity.
About This Cause
PRO VIDA is a civic association (www.provida.sk) founded 2006 by an entrepreneur Ladislav Kossar (www.ladislavkossar.com) and his sister Lucia Kossarova, a social scientist, together with a team of volunteers. Its main program BUDDY (www.yourbuddy.sk) has been helping children who do not grow up with their family but instead in Centres for children and family/“children’s homes” integrate into society. The first 9 years program BUDDY worked directly with vulnerable children and in 2015 transformed to work with adult volunteers, who individually support one child. BUDDY combines the principles of the social and non-profit sector with the best of business and science. Program BUDDY provides localised, tailored solutions in the community to meet the child’s complex individual needs. Today the organisation and its team of 15 experts care for over 100 BUDDY volunteer pairs across Slovakia but hope that thousands more vulnerable children and young people will get their BUDDY in the coming years. In Central & Eastern Europe as well as in other countries.