ESC: Welfare Services Nõva unit in Tartu

Work tasks
Tartu Nõva unit offers community living service and daily assistance. The unit is designed for clients with a mental disability to feel comfortable. The center has 10 customers and the clients live in apartments, 3-4 people in each.

The unit has 2 workers to support the residents in everyday life activities: cooking, housekeeping, visiting a doctor and public offices, organising free time activities and planning the journey to work. Twice a week they go shopping to buy food for home cooking. The clients participate in public events organized by the local community and private events organized specially for them by the supervisors. The goal is to help the clients to be as independent as possible. The supervisors are working in shifts from 8.00-18.00. From 18.00 – 8.00 they have the phone duty, so the clients can ask help if needed.

The organisation offers supervision and guidance for the volunteer from experienced staff. It also appoints a tutor to monitor the volunteers’ daily duties and deal with task-related issues and questions that may appear throughout the project. The volunteer and the tutor discuss together possible activities and compose a working schedule.

Volunteers most important work will be helping staff in everyday activities and companying clients in community events.
We are expecting volunteer to:
– support and guide clients in their work assignments,
– support clients in using services in the local community (cinema, theater, public transportation etc.),
– organize and carry out gatherings and groups for clients (sports, handicraft, photography, cooking, movie nights, reading etc.),

– organize and help activity coordinators in arranging different functions and parties or spring bees, birthdays etc,
– help activity coordinators in their everyday work,
– make suggestions in enhancing our services.

The working time will be around 35 hours a week. The volunteer will have 2 days off per week either during the business days (from Monday to Friday) or at the weekends and additionally 2 days off per month.

Before coming to the service, it is recommended for the volunteer to learn basic Estonian.

Benefits of volunteering

• learn to cope with a new language and cultural environment
• learn about Estonian Culture and traditions
• learn about the life of people with special needs and different disabilities
• the experience can help to determine the future field of work