State aid from the from the deputy social welfare ministry is expected to increased to €17 million in 2023 for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local authorities to operate social care programmes, Deputy Welfare Minister Marilena Evangelou said on Saturday.
Speaking at the 30th Cyprus Volunteerism Council conference, she said that in 2022 aid from the total budget amounted to €15.8 million.
“Additionally, in 2022 a total of 290 social care programmes were funded by 163 agencies,” she said.
She added that the state support plans are evaluated on an annual basis and are adapted to the new demands, priorities and emerging needs of society, as well as of the various agencies that are subsidised by them.
“The evaluation of the applications is based on a series of criteria, both quantitative and qualitative, taking into account factors such as the geographical area, the size of the community, the type of programme, the number of people served, the financial data of the organisation, etc,” she said.
She added that state aid is not statutory, meaning that NGOs are not obliged to be given the same funds from one year to the next. “It depends on the evaluation of the criteria. After all, the common goal must be for the programmes to be sustainable,” she said.
The ministry, she said, is constantly working on ways to further improve the provision of state aid by listening to the challenges faced by NGOs, to ensure the provision of quality social care services to the public.
Officers of the Social Welfare Services in all districts are at the disposal of non-governmental organisations and local government authorities for any necessary support and guidance, she said.