G-1751

Children's Learning Center

Description

Financing

Documents

Photos

History Logs

Project Description

Region: Other

Country: Albania

Location: Pogradec

Total Budget: $35,000

Area of Focus: Basic education and literacy



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Proposal Form

Pogradec is a city of 37,000 people in southeastern Albania. Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with about 34% of the overall population living poverty. In rural areas and among marginalized groups such as people with disabilities, the rate is much higher. The education system in Albania offers very little support for children with special needs; in Pogradec, lack of services means that close to 100% of children with special needs are never able to attend school, and reach adulthood with limited options for dignified and independent living.

This project will help more children with disabilities receive the support they need to thrive in school. The nonprofit organization Nehemiah Gateway (NG) has helped thousands of people living in poverty in Albania since 1991, offering medical and social aid to people in need, and education for people for whom the public education system is inaccessible. This includes significant work with children with disabilities. NG has raised funds to add a new Children's Learning Center to its current clinical space, addressing a significant community need that it cannot meet with existing staff and facilities. This Center, consisting of two therapy classrooms connected by a shared waiting room and restroom, will be staffed by a team of nurses and specialists. Our team will reach more children at an earlier age, providing services typically available at schools in developed countries. The proximity of the private, preK-12 Nehemia School will enable families to combine care and education where appropriate for the needs of the child; scholarship funding will be available.

The project supports several of Rotary Global's areas of focus. It is primarily an education project that will increase education opportunities for special needs children and build capacity in the Pogradec community to meet the needs of special needs children. Additionally, it addresses WASH goals by including funding to install an accessible bathroom (including handwashing and drinking water stations) in the center, and staff and student instruction on proper handwashing and hygiene.

The cost of this project is anticipated to be approximately $35,000 (preliminary estimate).

• Training of clinicians to work at Children's Learning Center: $3,500

• New clinical staff person at 100% for 1 year. After the first year of operation the cooperating organization will assume responsibility for this salary. This person will be needed to work with an anticipated 50% increase in work with children with disabilities. $6,000

• Speech therapist and physical therapist at 75%, 1 year. This will help to cover transition to the new center, including training, outreach to area schools, and work with the children. After the first year, the cooperating organization will assume responsibility for their salaries. $4,500 each for total of $9,000

• Nehemia School scholarships for children with special needs: $6,340, first year

• Accessible bathroom, handwashing, drinking water station: $2,160

• WASH education for children with disabilities, training and implementation: $1,000

• Project management and administration: $3,500

• Monitoring and evaluation: $3,500

Estes Park Rotary and the Pogradec Rotary Club have already agreed to partner on a grant request to support this project. After the first year of operation of the Children's Learning Center, all staff compensation, including training and community outreach, as well as scholarships to Nehemia School and maintenance and upkeep of the bathroom, will become the responsibility of NG Albania, without further aid from Rotary.

Nehemiah Gateway has raised the funds needed to build the two clinical rooms, and when funding for the bathroom, staffing, and training, are received, construction will begin-a process that will take six months or less. Special needs children will begin receiving services and attending school immediately afterwards.

Primary Host Partner

District: 55

Rotary Club of: Pogradec

Primary Contact: Celnik Haxhillari

Email: celnikhaxhillari@yahoo.com

Primary International Partner

District: 5440

Rotary Club of: Estes Park

Primary Contact: Jack Boatman

Email: jack.boatman7@gmail.com

Project Status

Completed
This project is "Completed". This means the project has been implemented and the report was accepted by The Rotary Foundation. The project will stay listed on this website as a testimony of the achievements of the project partners.

Project listed for the 2019-20 Rotary Year.

The TRF Grant application number is #1985205.

Proposed Financing

Existing Contributions Towards This Project

Date

Cash

DDF

Total

Estes Park (5440)

12-Jan-19

$10,000

$10,000

$20,000

Amount Requested from The Rotary Foundation

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

Total

$35,000

Note: as of July 1, 2015 there is a 5% additional support fee for cash contributions. This fee does not appear in the financials above because it does not apply if the funds are sent directly to the project account (without going through TRF, and therefore without Paul Harris credit). Clubs sending their cash contribution to TRF must be aware they will have to send an additional 5%.

Project Supporting Documents


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Project Photos

History Log Entries

7-Sep-18

by Sarah Pita

System Entry: Creation of project page.

26-Sep-18

by Jack Boatman

System Entry: Pledge of $5,000 by Jack Boatman of the Rotary Club of Estes Park, District 5440.

12-Jan-19

by Jack Boatman

System Entry: Pledge of $38,700 with $10,000 DDF by Jack Boatman of the Rotary Club of Estes Park, District 5440.

12-Jan-19

by Jack Boatman

System Entry: Project is now "Fully Pledged".

20-Jan-19

System Entry

System Entry: Pledge of $93 by Rvokiufvl through the Matching Grants Website DAF.

16-May-19

by Jack Boatman

This project is fully pledged and funded. Per recent discussions with The Rotary Foundation we are in the process of amending the application to remove the construction of two classrooms from the scope and focusing the project application on staffing, training and equipment for the Children's Learning Center.

21-Aug-19

by Sarah Pita

System Entry: Project reverted to "Published".

22-Aug-19

by Sarah Pita

System Entry: Project reverted to "Published".

22-Aug-19

by Sarah Pita

System Entry: Project is now "Fully Pledged".

9-Oct-19

by Jack Boatman

System Entry: Application Sent to The Rotary Foundation through Member Access.

11-Jan-20

by Jack Boatman

Project Status Update - We had a delay in obtaining the district authorizations in Albania due to email communication challenges however all authorizations have now been received. TRF is currently reviewing the application and on January 8th requested additional information. We are currently working to provide TRF responses for the additional information requested.

2-Apr-20

by Jack Boatman

System Entry: Application approved by The Rotary Foundation.

16-Jun-20

by Jack Boatman

The project is moving forward. As borders in Europe open and COVID restrictions are eased, the project partners in Albania are getting ready to start on the project.

2-Sep-20

by Jack Boatman

Our project partner and host club in Pogradec, Albania has experienced numerous problems in getting a project banking account setup. For a long period of time the banks in Albania were closed due to COVID. Recently the Pogradec Club learned they need to be registered as a nonprofit to open a bank account. This process could take a long time in Albania. As a result, the Pogradec Club has requested the Rotary Club of Estes Park set up a bank account and manage the funds for the project. We have discussed this with TRF. We are in the process of setting up a separate checking account for the project. Our partners in Albania are ready to start the project in the next few months.

10-Nov-20

by Jack Boatman

Project Update - the separate checking account for the global grant project has been established. The club contributions have been deposited in the global grant checking account. The bank account information has been provided to TRF. The OFAC Review checklist has been submitted to TRF. This grant is part of a larger overall project for the children's learning center in Albania. TRF will release the payment for this grant when the construction phase of the learning center building is completed.

26-Jan-21

by Jack Boatman

Project Update - This grant is part of a larger overall project for the children's learning center in Albania. The construction component of the project has been delayed until next summer. TRF has approved the project. TRF will release a portion of the funding for training and other preliminary activities over the next few months. TRF will release the balance of the funds when the construction is complete.

6-Apr-21

by Jack Boatman

This grant is part of a larger overall project for the children's learning center in Albania. TRF has approved the project. The construction component has been delayed due to COVID impacts and other challenges with permitting, but work is progressing to finalize all permits. Training for local school teachers and Nehemiah Gateway staff is scheduled in late April.

16-Jun-21

by Jack Boatman

Covid impacts in Albania resulted in a significant delay in the project timeline, however, the project is now moving forward. Training for staff and local school teachers was conducted in late April. We have communicated with TRF on the current status. Numerous grant project activities will be initiated this summer.

24-Jun-21

by Jack Boatman

System Entry: Payment has been issued by The Rotary Foundation.

7-Jan-22

by Jack Boatman

The project kicked off with trainings in Pogradec Albania for staff at the Learning Center, teachers at Nehemiah Gateway schools and teachers from Pogradec public schools. Schools in Albania generally do not offer special education of offer accommodation for students with special needs. The president of the Pogradec Rotary Club attended the launch.

A second round of trainings for Learning Center staff, NG teachers, and local public school teachers was held in October. In November WASH training was conducted. Pictures of the training sessions have been posted.

In 2022, the remainder of the grant funding will be expended. Additional grant-funded activity will support bringing additional children into the program, staffing, and some furnishings for the education space.

21-Jul-22

by Jack Boatman

The third and final training for Learning Center Staff is scheduled and will take place in Tirana. The project team is working on replacing a staff member who had to unexpectedly resign for personal reasons. Tuition assistance is currently being provided for several students at the Learning Center. The remaining grant funds will be expended in 2022.

26-Feb-23

by Jack Boatman

Training for the Learning Center staff was conducted in November. Additional staff training is scheduled in February. Tuition assistance is currently being provided for several students at the Learning Center. It is now anticipated the grant project will be completed in the next few months.

12-Jul-23

by Jack Boatman

System Entry: Final Report sent to The Rotary Foundation.

12-Jul-23

by Jack Boatman

System Entry: Final Report approved by The Rotary Foundation.

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