Plans for future

The long-term goal of the North Estonian Blind Society (NEBA) is to develop an education and social center for visually impaired people. The center should take into account the specifics of the target group. Also considering the needs of other disadvantaged groups with disabilities. The reformed social enterprise will exist in the NEBA's premises at Tondi street Building.
NEBA sees itself as a public sector partner, actively representing the interests of the blind people. Not excluding the foregoing, NEBA also plans to keep the services center at its own expense.
In addition to the above, the NEBA aims to consolidate all services for and activities for blind into a building owned by the NEBA at Tondi 8a. 
The building currently houses two more organizations. The Estonian Society of Blind (Masseurs and the Rehabilitation Center for the Visually Impaired.

The main obstacles to launching the center are:
Poor condition of the Tondi 8a premises 
Lack of resources to hire a qualified workforce.
The current economic situation of the NEBA does not allow offering full range of services or to reconstruct the building from its own resources.

When planning the services offered by the training and social center we proceed from the real needs of the target group. Our long-standing traditions and experience let us to understand them correctly. In cooperation with the state, the unemployment fund and local governments, it is possible to create a full-fledged support system. This will reduce the possibility that a person "disappears into the system". Renovated building makes it possible to provide support to other disadvantaged groups. That in case  of cooperation with the public sector,
The center would become a public-use facility that supports networking with people from different backgrounds. This in turn creates new opportunities in different walks of life.

Donations collected through the "Christmas Tunnel" in 2011 allowed us to get closer to our goals. With the collected donations, NEBA has commissioned a reconstruction project for the Tondi street building. The "Christmas Tunnel" support  "> "> "> "> also made it possible to reconstruct the premises of the blind masseurs. One third is set aside. This is needed to secure a share of self-financing in case of successful apply for a new reconstruction grant or project. 
NEBA sincerely thanks the Estonian people who donated through the "Christmas Tunnel"!

Read more about the building project here.

Following the completion of the project, a business plan (including financial analysis) has been prepared. It was made within the framework of the Estonian-Swiss Cooperation Program NGO Fund and the Civil Society Endowment (NFCS). See project here. The main goal was to determine the economic viability of NEBA future scenarios.

Financial analysis revealed that all future decisions would be more appropriate to take on the basis of being social enterprise. Entrepreneurial income is derived from the rental space the building and from public services (hostel, gym).
Reconstruction investment is possible with the support of the state, local government and sponsors. NEBA offers a solution: state + local government financing. For its part NEBA guarantees the implementation of the public sector services for agreed number of years. If these tasks are not carried out, the investment will be repaid in proportion to the time spent on the job.

Read more about financial analysis here.