IT Donations Empower Civic Cohesion
Civic Sense Association is a small NGO that empowers civic cohesion for citizens of Piatra Neamt in Romania. Part of their mission is to inform the citizens about their rights and duties and help them better understand the role of public institutions. Almost 8,000 people have been the direct beneficiaries of their projects.
In 2012 they organized "Stone Bike," a bike-sharing program that helped the organization raise money for their charitable work and promote the benefits of cycling for more than 5,000 people. In 2013 they raised money with another program and renovated two hospital units for children. In addition, they donated 250 nightstands and 30 cupboards to the county hospital in Piatra Neamt.
"Our main activity is education, and our target group is youngsters, so we have to communicate with modern instruments, familiar to them. This obliges us to use the most competitive IT products," says Andrei Carabelea, president of the association.
Being able to access Microsoft donations, with the help of TechSoup Romania, has enabled the organization to save money for other projects. "We saved 3,500 lei (US$1,000), and this sum was used to create a project that benefitted 200 children from orphanages in Piatra Neamt," says Carabelea.
Moreover, the donated software was used to edit informative materials such as flyers and visuals for the organization. A reliable Office will be an asset in developing future projects.
