International NGO "Ponimanie"

Mission: Building the World fit for Children with our Professional and Voluntary Contribution.
Objectives and Areas of Program Interest:
- Child Protection;
- Prevention and Respond to Child Abuse;
- Child Participation;
Particular target groups: abused children, sexually abused children, missing and exploited children, children under difficult circumstances/ children-at-risk

Registration:

NGO is officially established on 11.11.2000; reorganized into International NGO on the 21.11.2002, re-registered on 06.04.2006, registration №01407.
Has affiliates in the Republic of Belarus, the Ukraine and Republic of Lithuania. Fiscal Identity Number 101877258.

Members and volunteers:

135 members, 78 volunteers, 9 staff, 28 experts, including international experts and consultants in the field of response to child abuse and neglecting of children, trafficking in children, assistance to children, in the field of deinstitutionalization children from orphanages, advocacy to the above.

Main activity:

Include five main components: 1) Formulation of approaches, strategies and policies in the field of children rights protection and response to child abuse. 2) Direct service for children — victims of sexual abuse and children witnesses of violence. 3) Creation of the social environment friendly to children, changing the public attitude and awareness raising in society. 4) Advocacy to children and their families. 5) Support to local NGOs, working on the oblast, city and rayon levels.

Services:

Lunched in 2009 from just one Networking of 12 (in growth up to 21 by the end of 2012) Houses of Understanding (based on Scandinavian model Barnahus), where children are rendered a whole range of services starting from interview and finishing with rehabilitation.

Annual international conferences “Safe Belarus – for Children”.

Methodical guidance of the prevention of and intervention in trafficking in children, including awareness raising among education specialists, introduction of TIP topic into the program of specialists re-training.

Capacity building and development direct service for Child Protection from Sexual Abuse, Prevention of Child Abuse (CoE Committee of Ministers Recommendations 2009/10 following Strategy of Prevention of Child Abuse and Support to Abused Children for Belarus development, implementation, and M&E; re-granting to local NGO and initiative groups in progress).

National 24/7 toll-free Child Helpline 8-801-100-1611.

Clinical Service for abused children.

National Center for Missing and exploited Children (under development).

National Family Justice Center (under development).

Preparation, submission Alternate Reports to UN CRC on Art. 19 of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. M&E of the progress in implementation of UN CRC Recommendations against MERSCI indicators (in Coalition with Children’s Rights and Protection Consultancy - International and with support of NGO Group/CRIN).

Policy formulation in area of Child Protection (in partnership with British Council).

INGO “Ponimanie” is associated to Children Rights Protection Coalition (Belarus, Russia, USA), CRPCI (USA-International), ISPCAN (USA - International), British Council (UK, the Ukraine), National District Attorney Association (USA), Child Abuse Center of Oklahoma University (USA), NCAC (USA - International), Council of Baltic Sea States (Sweden – International), Child Helpline International (Netherlands – International), International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (USA - International), National Family Justice Center Alliance (USA - International), National Children’s Rights Networking (Belarus).

INGO "Ponimanie" has International, national, and local awards and it is Laureate of National Social Fair of 2005, 2006 and 2007.