THE FOUNDATION “SAINT-GOBAIN INITIATIVES” AND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY START WITH REALISATION OF THE PROJECT “RECONSTRUCTION AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF THE CENTRE FOR SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE WITH MENTAL DISABILITY PORAKA NEGOTINO”

Today, the International Corporate Foundation headquartered in France, and Habitat Macedonia, a part of the Habitat for Humanity International network, signed a contract for cooperation involving financial support for the “Reconstruction and Energy Efficiency of the Centre for Support of the People with Mental Disability Poraka- Negotino” project.

This is a second such donation of the company Saint-Gobain which, via the Foundation Saint-Gobain Initiatives in the scope of the project will donate 37.500€, and Habitat Macedonia will contribute 14.000€, aimed for reconstruction, façade insulation, interior reconstructions and overall improvement of the living conditions in the two houses in which 20 deinstitutionalized people with mental disability currently reside. With this donation and renconstruction we directly support the efforts of Poraka-Negotino to provide decent living conditions for the persons with mental disability outside of the institutions, enabling easier integration in the community, as well as possibilities for self-sustainability and productivity of these people. In addition, the improvement of the energy efficiency of the houses will provide lower electricity costs of this community, as well as contribute to the decrease of carbon dioxide emissions.

“The innovative solutions our company Saint-Gobain, create living spaces supporting comfort, high quality of life and sustainability - as a model for future generations to develop environmentally conscious living environments. We believe that the benefits of our donation will provide much more sustainable values and more decent living conditions for the beneficiaries of the Center for support of persons with mental disability Poraka-Negotino, – stated Tomas Rosak, CEO of Saint-Gobain for Eastern Europe.

“Habitat Macedonia, as the only civil society organization covering the area of substandard housing, in recent years has spearheaded and implemented initiatives and innovative solutions for improving the quality of energy efficiency and the quality of life of the local community, especially of the most marginalized group of citizens. The projects are implemented with donors, socially responsible companies, and we are especially grateful that for the second time the Foundation Saint-Gobain Initiatives has recognized us as a partner with a mutual vision and values. I do hope that this cooperation will continue in the future too” – stated Liljana Alcheva, Deputy Director Program of Habitat Macedonia.

“This support is of exceptional importance for our organization Poraka-Negotino, and above all for our beneficiaries, i.e. the persons with special needs, who are deinstitutionalized through their accommodation in residential units. The improvement of such living conditions through reconstruction and improved energy efficiency of the units is, of course of exceptional importance for the residents of these buildings, and the donation of the printer would contribute to the future inclusion in the community”-stated Gordana Trajkovska, President of Poraka-Negotino in reference to the importance of this donation.

The project “Reconstruction and Energy Efficiency of the Center for support of the persons with mental disability Poraka-Negotino” is planned to conclude within one year, and Saint-Gobain and habitat Macedonia thorough this project would like to strengthen the capacities and the potentials of the marginalized categories, their integration in the local community, demonstrating enormous efforts in improvement of the social challenges and the activation of self-sustainability of the socially vulnerable groups. The collaboration of the two institutions started two years ago with the first donation thorough the realization of the project for providing energy efficiency of the Pensioners Association of in Kavadarci.