The BEARR Trust Small Grants Scheme 2008

A. For projects on Helping the homeless reintegrate into society (Russia only), the grant went to

UNESCO Club “Dignity of the child” in Volgograd.

The project covers research, publicity, setting up self-help groups and training peer support, and running two seminars with relevant NGOs and statutory bodies as well as a round table including them all. Homeless children are to be part of all events.

This award is sponsored by the law firm Baker Botts in Moscow, who also continue to fund grants for students from the Kitezh orphan children’s community.

B. For projects on Relieving the distress of human trafficking (whole region), two awards were made:

Institute for Democracy, Moldova

Project on “Increasing of the Role of Police and Civil Society in Fighting the Trafficking in Women and Girls” and

Perspectiva, Moldova

Project on “Preventing human trafficking through information: outreach to Moldova’s southern villages”

The Trust was particularly impressed by the quantity and quality of the applications under the trafficking heading. This is obviously a major gap in provision in all the border areas of our region. Applications came from everywhere from Murmansk to Kirgyzstan, Karelia to Azerbaijan. It was decided that this subject should continue to be a focus for the 2009 scheme.