Computer literacy courses for the disabled

• Services Centre for the Disabled in Louny offers clients computer literacy courses
• Increasing interest in the centre's consultancy services
• T­Mobile contributed CZK100,000 towards purchasing a PC and employment of severely disabled persons

Prague, 7 February 2008 - With financial assistance from the T-Mobile Fund, the Louny-based civic association CSZP (Centrum služeb pro zdravotně postižené - Services Centre for the Disabled), which has been in operation for a year and a half, can now buy a new computer which it needs to more effectively provide its services. The computer will also be used by the association's clients.

"The centre is usually the first point of contact for people who find themselves in a difficult life situation. Our financial support will help improve the technical infrastructure and also make it possible to employ severely disabled persons," says Martina Kemrová, Senior Head of Corporate Communication at T­Mobile.

CSZP was set up in September 2006. Its purpose is to help not only disabled persons, the elderly and those suffering from various illnesses, but also their families and friends. It offers them precise and detailed consulting services. "We made 1,400 such contacts between March and December 2007," says Venuše Firstlová, head of the association and a coordinator of social services. "People very often ask us about the changes in the health insurance scheme, state contributions towards care and the purchase of rehabilitation aids but also about the possibilities of further education and rehabilitation."

The T­Mobile Fund contributed CZK 100,000 to CSZP in the current round of the grant procedure. This money will be used for the purchase of a new computer and also for supporting the employment of severely disabled persons. In connection with this, the centre plans to employ a webmaster, a bulletin editor and an information centre specialist. "We also want to provide advice and information on our website. However, we have found that many people in our target group are not computer literate. We therefore plan a specialized course for them, too," says Venuše Firstlová.

CSZP also issues a printed bulletin. In addition to topical events relating to health and social security insurance, it also informs readers of the services offered by the centre and its partners. In addition to this, CSZP is involved in practical field work: four assistants regularly visit people who need their help. Several disabled persons also work directly in the centre. "It is part of our philosophy to involve our clients in administrative and organizational matters. They not only earn money, but more importantly, they realize that their work is useful for others. Quite often, the biggest handicap is a negative attitude towards life," says Firstlová.

This is the third year that various projects have received financial contributions from the T-Mobile Fund. Funding set aside for the Louny region is managed by the Community Foundation of Euroregion Labe, which selected projects from among 119 applications from this region, distributing the total amount of CZK 1.7 million among 32 organizations.

More information is available from Venuše Firstlová, e-mail: firstlova.venuse@seznam.cz, tel.: 608 108 373, www.centrum-louny.wbs.cz

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.