Sakhalin Energy’s social programme ”Small Grants – Big Deeds” has been a huge success since it’s launch in 2003 and this year’s competition attracted more than 90 entries from initiative groups, educational and other institutions from almost every Sakhalin district.

This year the winners were announced in four nominations: social programmes, raising family values, culture and education, ecological initiatives. The winners were announced on April 23 during a post-grant seminar where grantees learned how to successfully implement their projects. Each grant is worth 70,000 roubles. Among the winners are schools and kindergartens of different Sakhalin districts – Kholmsk school #9 with a project implementing antistess methods in school, speech training project in Dolinsk kindergarten, etc.

Four best projects of 2007 year were announced as well. These are “Island of Hope” implemented in kindergarten for visual impaired children, “Small Theatre” of the rehabilitation center for disabled children “Preodolenie”, “Safety school, Children and Road” of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk kindergarten and “Open your heart to the good” of Smirnykh special correction boarding school.

Launched in 2003, the programme has supported more than 160 schemes centring on the key areas of protection of the environment, health, social assistance and cultural development throughout Sakhalin. It is one of the most popular Sakhalin Energy charitable programmes supporting initiative and addressing social concerns in the community. The contest is open to non-governmental organisations and any group with an idea, based in the Sakhalin Oblast. This year the NGO Shans administered the contest. Sakhalin Energy provides financial support and controls the implementation of the programme.

As 2008 has been designated as “the Year of the Family” in Russia, the Company decided that this year’s “Small Grants – Big Deeds” programme would focus on projects aimed at emphasising and reinforcing the social status of the family.

Past programmes which have benefited from the “Small Grants – Big Deeds” contest include an archeological exploration in Pokrovka village, the establishment of a puppet theatre in Yasnoye village and creating a sensor room for the Lugovoye kindergarten in the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk district.

April 2008.