In September, our school in Podolínec will open classes for 7 newly admitted children with mental disabilities, autism, and multiple disabilities.
The classroom is ready. The teachers are ready. Professional support is in place. The children have their place at school.
One thing is missing: a 9-seater car that will safely take them to school every day.
We are the United School of St. Clement Hofbauer, a boarding school in Podolínec. We support children with intellectual disabilities, autism, and children from families where even getting to school is not a given.
We accept all children – regardless of religion or background.
Currently, our school educates around 80 children with health disadvantages in two organizational units. For many, our school is a place of peace, security, and acceptance. They learn to communicate, manage emotions, believe in themselves, and take small steps that are great victories for them. But without safe transportation, they cannot achieve these victories at all.
The vehicle we are raising money for would serve not only seven new students, but during the school year also other students of our school – for commuting to and from school, transfers to the boarding school, professional support, school activities, and situations that public transport often does not allow. According to the school’s work plan, the vehicle could help approximately 40 children during the school year.
What the school means for these children
For some of these children, school may be the first place outside the home where someone regularly awaits them. Where someone calls them by name. Where they will have a secure daily routine. Where they receive professional support. Where they can learn, play, build relationships, and experience contact with the world.
For children with autism and multiple disabilities, regular professional support and a stable routine are extremely important. The time children spend outside of school and without support is very difficult to manage. This is the reality that we see every day in our school.
When a child wants to go to school … but has no way
Marek is a boy with autism and a mental disability. He perceives the world around him more sensitively, more intensely. He needs calm, certainty, and a familiar environment. At school, he progresses, taking small but huge steps for him. But the journey to school is chaos, noise, and stress for him, which he often cannot handle. He cannot get to school without help.
Three sisters from the Roma community, Žaneta (12), Monika (11), and Andrea (9), until recently struggled with irregular school attendance. Today, thanks to the stability of the school and the school dormitory they found with us, they come with smiles, and their attendance is almost one hundred percent. But the journey home? Constant uncertainty.
"Miss, could you buy us a train ticket?" the eldest asks shyly. They never ask for more, always quietly waiting to see if they will be able to go home.
Why do we ask donors?
There are public contributions for student transportation, but they do not cover everything these children actually need. Often, it is a reimbursement of travel costs or partial support for operation, not the purchase of a safe 9-seater vehicle.
Some children do not have a usefull connection. For others, public transport is too noisy, unpredictable, or unmanageable for their diagnosis. Other families do not have the money or means to ensure everyday commuting. And so it happens that children stay at home.
Not because they don’t want to. But because they can’t.
This car is not a luxury
It is not extra comfort. It is not a “better service.”
It is not an accessory.
It is something that decides whether a child gets to school or stays at home.
Today, the school is looking for solutions to get children to where they need to be: sometimes the journey is paid out of our own pockets, our own cars are used, or expensive bus transport. However, this cannot work in the long term.
Therefore, we are asking for help with a vehicle. Not a luxury. A way to get to school.
Our goal: €40,000
Our goal is a new, safe, and reliable 9-seater vehicle for operation in the first school year.
According to the school´s working budget, these are the costs:
- new 9-seater vehicle – €35,687
- annual insurance (third-party + comprehensive) –
€1,292
- fuel for one school year – €2,300
- service and technical inspection – €500
- mandatory equipment and safety features – €2,181
Total: €41,960
We round the target amount to €40,000.
Why we need money before the start of the new school year
We need to buy a car, have it technically inspected, re-registered, insured, and prepared for transporting children before the school year begins.
If you can´t donate €50, €10, €20, or €25 will also help. Every donation brings us closer to making sure that children are not just registered in school documents, but actually start the day in the classroom among people who are waiting for them.
Let´s help them get to school. Your donation does not buy a car. It helps turn a child´s school registration into a real school day for 7 children with autism and mental disabilities and provides a safe journey for other children of our school.
THANK YOU to everyone who decided to help, share our story, or support the children with any amount. Your help is not taken for granted by us. Thanks to your help we can give the children more than just transport – we give them safety, security, and the feeling that someone cares about them.
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