Policy plan

FOUNDATION «HELP’IM»

Table of Contents

FOREWORD

  1. INTRODUCTION
    • Brief History
    • Challenges and Difficulties
  1. GENERAL INFORMATION AND MANAGEMENT         
  2. MISSION AND VISION                               
  3.  OBJECTIVES 
  4.  HELPING SINCE 2014: HOW DID IT START?                                               
  5. ACTIVITIES CALENDAR: 2020 -2023                                                
  6.  FINANCES                                                                     

FOREWORD

The Foundation “HELP’IM” was established and registered on 10.08.2020 and is located in Hildo Kropstraat 10, 3431CC Nieuwegein. The most important reason to start the foundation was to provide real help to growing numbers of people who are suffering from different forms of abuse: domestic violence, political and social injustice, economic inequality, medical and mental disability in former Soviet Union countries and provide translation, legal and tax filing assistance to those who currently immigrated to the Netherlands and need to integrate.

The founding members have several years of experience as volunteers in various charitable activities and organizations. Overseeing various support programs in the Netherlands and the former USSR countries, significant results have been achieved (more on this in chapter 2).

 

Despite the tremendous opportunities that are opening up in a new country, newcomers (nieuwkommers) often face a number of challenges that they cannot cope with on their own.

A foundation has a Articles of Association (Statuten.    Artikel). In these Articles, among other things, the Board of Directors and Executive Directors are appointed.  “HELP’IM Foundation” is registered at KVK 80021239 as well as with Tax authorities.

 Policy Plan for obtaining the status of Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling (ANBI) as per requirements of the ANBI is presented here. ANBI status gives an advantage that organizations and individuals can deduct the value of their donations from taxes, while the foundation is protected from paying tax on donations and donations.

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BRIEF HISTORY  

USSR existed for 70 years, occupying the largest land mass and uniting 300 million people. What happened and what is really going on in those countries?

Military conflicts, wars and revolutions since 1991 fall of the USSR have been happening constantly. The big conflicts are territorial disputes in Abkhazia, Nagornyi Karabah, Ossetia, Chechnya; civil wars in Georgia, Tajikistan, Moldova and Azerbaijan; color revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.  These wars and instabilities became the main reasons of migration within  and from the USSR countries.

Around 300 million people became in the middle of diverse conflicts and difficulties. Regional movement of people started in 1991 and continues till now. According to an official study prepared for the Policy Analysis and Research Programme of the Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM) the main vector of migration within the CIS countries has been directed towards Russia, largely because of pulling cultural factors and because the country’s better economic situation. Russia’s largest source of migrants is Kazakhstan, which provided 35.3% of its migrants in the post-Soviet period. Ranking second is Uzbekistan, which provided 13.9% of net migration, followed by Ukraine with 9. 9%. The South Caucuses countries account for 18. 9%, Central Asian countries as a group for 29.8%, and the Baltic states for 4.7% of the increase in Russia’s migrant population. For many people migration to Russia is the easiest available way to get out of sometimes life threatening difficulties due to finances, language and cultural issues. Once they stabilize their situations they migrate to other countries from Russia.

Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, CBSO has stated that of 1 January 2012, 65 thousand Soviet Union nationals were living in the Netherlands. Among them were 16 thousand children born in the Netherlands. Another 49 thousand Soviet citizens are immigrants. Two thirds of these immigrants have settled in the Netherlands in or after 2000. Twice as many women as men have come to the Netherlands from Russia and the western countries of the former Soviet Union. The majority of these people came for the purpose of joining or accompanying a family member. Most people from the Caucasus coming to the Netherlands were asylum applicants. Number of migration from the former USSR countries is still high, counting on average 1.5 thousand in 2018-2020 years.

1.1 CHALLENGES AND DIFFICULTIES

Major challenges in the coming period, the HELP’IM Foundation will face are the recruitment of sponsors and donors; acquire  trustworthy reputation across divided 15 former USSR republics; and build large networking that can serve as an exchange platform for diverse activities.

The OSCE also states that for establishing peace, protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms that already exist and are successfully functioning in Europe can be overcome by depoliticizing the problems and issues that arise in this sphere and establishing a dialogue mechanism based on cooperation and not rhetoric, without duplicating the multilateral mechanisms.

Tremendous tasks we put on ourselves are challenging but vitally important to achieve the foundation’s vision, missions and objectives. These will require perseverance and commitment which we are aware of and are ready to stand by.

Current Policy Plan serves Board members and executive personal to manage its operations and to achieve its objectives succeed in the future.

The aim Foundation perseveres, in collaboration with third parties, is to become social force of justice, peace, equality and prosperity within our target group, between our target group and others.

“HELP’IM Foundation” is positive towards all initiatives and people who pursue the same goals. However, there is scarcity of integrated systems. Majority of organizations operate within one country whereas we believe that people from former USSR countries share the same history and Russian as a common language, diverse and yet assimilated into one soviet culture and most importantly currently we  have similar current realities and problems there and in the Netherlands.

2. GENERAL INFORMATION AND MANAGEMENT

3. MISSION & VISION

OUR MISSION:

Show human compassion, fellowship and loving care to those who suffer in all former USSR countries as well as to immigrants from those countries who find themselves in challenging and difficult life situations both within the Netherlands and abroad.

OUR VISION:

  • organize and operate Advice Centers for vulnerable population groups and people who find themselves in a difficult life/death (emergency medical) situations;
  • organize events aimed at promoting awareness of issues vulnerable populations face;
  • provide economic support and offer personal guidance;
  • provide legal assistance in resolving conflicts between physical and legal entities;
  • guide in integration process in the Netherlands for immigrants from USSR countries;
  • perform other activities that may be in line with the vision.

4. OBJECTIVES

How in warn and conflict torn territory of former USSR countries bring stability and peace?

How can bring hope to people, who were and are struggling for life on a daily basis?

How can people immigrated to the Netherlands from those conflict areas can become active contributing members of the society?

We anticipate that the conflicts may rise even more in former USSR countries and thus bring more migration wave to the western countries in next 5-10 years.

OUR FOCUS SOCIAL ISSUE:

Who are the most vulnerable people in former USSR countries and why they need our help?

  1. They are elderly whose tiny pensions are not enough to pay regular bills and can’t afford special medical assistance. Elderly people who are left in the social housings and are not visited and left without love and fellowship.
  2. They are social groups that don’t fit traditional and old systems, e.g. LGBT: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.
  3. They are children, youth who are left out by their parents due to medical or sometimes economic conditions.
  4. They are women who are left during their unplanned pregnancies by their partners and families or those who left their homes due to domestic violence.
  5. Disabled people who are imprisoned in their homes because their mobility is retricted, there are no facilities in house buildings, shops and public transportations.

These five groups of people sometimes, just need hearing ears, sometimes need money for hot food, sometimes need chair for disabled people, sometimes shelter to stay. In short, they need help and most importantly they need HOPE to live, to move one.

Why they are in such situations? Due to political and economical instabilities and corroding corruptions there are no systematic and strong social and economic assistance to these groups. In addition these people are generally have poor education and can not use modern facilities and technologies.

Bring stable platform of social, economic and legal assistance to the most vulnerable groups in all 15 former USSR countries and migrants from those areas in the Netherlands, who need immediate help.

How can we achieve our goals?

  1. Platform development for promotion of social and economic projects

for Russian-speaking people in the Netherlands and in former USSR countries;

  1. Complimentary assistance to children, students, elderly and people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups;
  2. Development and implementation of charitable programs and projects;
  3. Drawing public attention to social problems of society;
  4. Development and implementation of programs aimed at preventing negative habits among young people and children;
  5. Trusting and confidential relationship with the target group when developing functions and other initiatives;
  6. Develop formal and informal relationships with third parties as mass media, international and local organization to open up more platforms for the target community;
  7. Organization of cultural, charitable, educational, informational and developmental activities in former USSR countries, as well as the Netherlands;
  8. Professional free trainings, meetings, forums, exhibitions and events to share experiences;
  9. Organize activities and holding campaigns aimed at attracting voluntary donations from individuals and legal entities in former USSR countries, necessary for the implementation of charitable programs.
  10. Legal Literacy Educational Programs: role of non-lawyer intermediary advisers, such as accountants, appears to be an important facilitator in assisting individuals who are faced with legal problems. 

 

Where We Start:

TASK 1:  Set up an active exchange platform for the “HELP’IM Foundation” that serves as the basis for people to interact, address immediate needs of assistance and to collect integrated reliable information.

TASK 2: Work with the people and other organizations to disseminate  information about people in need in former USSR countries.

TASK 3. Active moral and social support for the local institutions that are active in similar area and have run into difficulties due to current pandemic situation.

TASK 4.  Active social, economic and legal support for all former 15 USSR countries’ citizens in bringing hope, care and systematic assistance.

TASK 5: Unite numerous heartfelt individuals as volunteers and invite them as active members and participants in activities of the Foundation.

TASK 6: In order to guarantee the continuity of the Foundation, raising funds is a high priority. This includes sponsoring, donations (gifts), philanthropy, subsidies and fundraising.

 

5. HELPING SINCE 2014: HOW DID IT START?

Since 2014, we have been organizing assistance for elderly who live in nursing homes and, who were not visited by anyone for 3-10 years. A lot of them are abandoned! It began as New Year’s greetings, with  gifts and creative performances by volunteers. Elderly people became our first focus group for our volunteer charitable activities.

After all, New Year is a family holiday, and residents of nursing homes are often deprived of this. Therefore, we decided to create a cozy atmosphere of a home holiday for this category of citizens.

Already in the first year, the action became so popular that we collected a large number of gifts and were able to visit several nursing homes at once. Our volunteers played games, sang songs of their youth, popular folk songs. Dressed as Santa Clause and Snegurochka we visited them with gifts. The gifts were warm socks, handkerchiefs, night gowns and cards with congratulations, which were written by people from many different cities.

One of the recent cases of our international collaboration project is “Stove for Svetlana”, where we acted as intermediary source and as the trusted entity for all sides: victim, volunteers, executors.

Svetlana K.  after working 50 years as a nurse in a hospital emergency unity retired, lives in a remote village in Russia. During the pandemic she was locked down in her house alone. Her small size pension was not enough to do needed major repairs in the house.

Her husband died after divorce, her only son  Igor K. came to the Netherlands as a political refugee. He brought to our attention the story of Svetlana.

In March, when it is cold and still heating season in Russia. In early March government commission came to Svetlana’s home. They cut her gas supply because her gas stove was broken: no help/assistance to repair, no concern for her health and how is she going to live??!! Without gas heating and cooking, Svetlana lived for few weeks!!!!

After Igor told this story few staff from Nalog.Nl contributed to purchase a new gas stove via online. But it was that easy!! There were no delivery services available nearby, as it was far from big cities. Again we worked days and night to find facilities and people who live in her neighborhood and can help us to transport and install new stove. And soon enough through our large network of friends and good hearted people we found a person with a van who volunteered to do it for free! Down below photo of happy Svetlana who got her stove and is grateful to many volunteers who contributed their time and energy helping her!

Story of Svetlana is a very exemplary situation of vulnerability of numerous working people and how our systematic assistance can really help many and give hope for humanity.

Our focus group 2: LGBT refugees in the Netherlands from former USSR countries also came to our attention through friends and colleagues who were touched by stories of human

hardships. People who were forced to leave their countries due to harassment and threats to their lives. Often these people, without knowing the language, find themselves helpless in another country, and it is very difficult to find help from other Russian-speaking migrants, since LGBT refugees in another country face misunderstandings and insults from their compatriots. Therefore, we created a community hub to support and help them. We help from the simplest questions, for example, which telephone company is user friendly and affordable; how to get ov-chip cards; how to find and register with huisarts etc. They need assistance in integration and adaptation in a new country.

Among LGBT refugees, there are several couples with children who have been awaiting interviews at the IND for over 1 year. Due to limited finances, they are forced to stay at AZC for longer time. We help these families by bringing board games and books for the kids so they don’t feel abandoned. In the future, we are planning to organize weekend events with visits to famous places / museums in the Netherlands.

Our focus groups 3 &4: children, youth and women in the Netherlands whom we started teaching basic KNM course in Russian for new arrivals. Of course, refugees can take this course in a special educational institution, but up to this point it usually takes an average of a year, and many rules, duties and features of the local culture are needed immediately after arriving in the Netherlands. The course was created on the basis of Dutch textbooks and takes place online due to the lack of premises where we could give lessons. So to date, more than 50 people have already completed this course.

During the quarantine period in spring 2020, all training activities at AZC were canceled, including language courses. To help address this issue, we have created an online Dutch course for this period with volunteers. Due to limited opportunities, we were able to take only 20 students.

5. COMPLIANCE WITH ANBI POLICIES AND REGULATIONS

Foundation “HELP’IM” recognizes and follows all conditions and regulations regarding ANBI Status:

  1. The Foundation is committed to at least 90% in the public interest. This is the 90% requirement ANBI status.

We plan to spend 100% of incoming resources for the cause we stand for: HELPING. This Foundation is strictly for the purpose of helping those who in need.

  1. The Foundation has no profit motive with all of its generally useful activities.

The Foundation and the people directly involved with the institution meet the integrity requirements.

Our core principles are: truthfulness, compassion, love and care.

  1. The director and Board members of the foundation together share full responsibility and accountability.
  2. Directors’ remuneration is limited to an expense allowance or minimum attendance fees.
  3. The Foundation has an up-to-date policy plan.
  4. The Foundation has a reasonable ratio between costs and expenditure.
  5. Money that is left after the institution is closed is spent on an ANBI with a similar purpose.
  6. The Foundation complies with administrative obligations.
  7. The Foundation publishes financial reports on its web-site.

6. ACTIVITIES CALENDAR: 2020 -2023

7. Finances