Merimetsa Support Centre’s (Merimetsa Tugikeskus) main goal is to improve intellectually and mentally challenged people’s everyday lives. There is also a fabric and textile shop which sells their goods at the centre and abroad.
Photo: Jaan Aps
Societal objectives
The centre offers several services to their mentally challenged clients: work aid and support in everyday activites. There are 9 different workshops which all contribute to the wellbeing of people in the centre. It is a neccessary service since national grants don’t cover the costs of nursing and care facilities, and there is also no public work aid service for mentally challenged people.
Photo: Jaan Aps
Business model
Most of the profit comes from the textile factory in the centre where full-time paid seamstresses sow mostly matress covers and bed sheets for export because the Estonian market is too small and does not provide enough customers.
Photo: Jaan Aps
Throught the textile producing Merimetsa Support Centre can cover the costs of offering their services to intellectually challenged individuals. And it has done so since 1997.
This kind of service lowers public costs. But there is no way to expand business since it would need more income and such support mechanisms for non-profit companies in Estonia do not exist.
Photo: Jaan Aps
In conclusion, Merimetsa Support Centre’s service is very beneficial and needed to the target group with offering work aid and support services to mentally challenged people. If it was possible to raise income, the centre would be able to create even more change for the society.
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