U Pana Cogito

Non Profit ID card: present your project/organisation/campaign

Questions answered by Agnieszka Lewonowska-Banach, Manager, U Pana Cogito.

– Where are you based? InKrakow, Poland.

– What are you called? U Pana Cogito Guest House and Restaurant.

– What are you doing and why? U Pana Cogito Guest House and Restaurant is a hotel and catering company. We are also an educational institution, as we mostly employ people who have suffered from mental illness in the past.

– Do you have a website/email? www.pcogito.pl; recepcja@pcogito.pl

– What makes you so special? U Pana Cogito Guest House and Restaurant is a social enterprise run by the Association of Families  “Mental Health” from Krakow. We have a social mission; we integrate and activate people who have experienced mental health problems in the past. Such people represent around 70% of our employees. The entire income is allocated for the rehabilitation of the workers, subsidized medicines, rehabilitation camps, and additional training sessions.

 

The turning point

– How did you start? In 2000 an NGO from Edinburgh called Community Enterprise Limited along with the Association of Families “Zdrowie Psychiczne” (Mental Health) from Krakow and with Towarzystwo Przyjaciól Niepelnosprawnych (the Friends of Disabled Society) from Lódz, Poland, applied jointly for a grant to the National Lottery Charities Board in Great Britain to acquire funds for the investment. They were successful! As a result of this cooperation our hotel opened in 2003. The authorities of Krakow submitted for a 40-year lease a historical building needing renovation. It was refurbished and adopted in line with instructions of a restorer. Opening of the guesthouse cost 1.2 million PLN. PFRON (the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Handicapped Persons) granted 40%, the remaining part was acquired through grants.

 – What keeps you going every day? Our mission to help people in need. 

– Who is your target? We provide an opportunity for people who have experienced mental health problems offering them stable employment, fitted to their abilities and limitations. We give them a chance to have a better life.

– How are you financed? PFRON, the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Handicapped Persons, provides about 50% of the needed funds. The remaining funds are covered through our income.

 

The challenge

– A proud moment? Full independence and opportunity to find a job for mentally ill people within the regular labour market.

– A problem you face? Mental health instability of our disabled employees.

 

www.pcogito.pl

 

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