The International SOFT Federation (ISF) is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) established on voluntary basis. It is functioning under Hungarian law, and consists of NGOs working in behalf of chronic ill, physically and mentally handicapped children and youngsters in Europe's post-Communist region. The ISF has an international Board as well as an international Visiting Committee. Its Secretariat is established in Debrecen, Hungary.

Members of the ISF co-operate in the creation of both human and social capital to improve the health care and welfare provisions of disabled children and youngsters in the countries involved. Simultaneously they contribute to the strengthening of civil society. In view of these aims, the ISF is developing and implementing strategies in the field of communication, adult education and learning, NGO management, efficient use of existing means and the exploration of new resources.

ISF exerts itself to improve the communication between its members as well as between these and their societal environment. The latter is necessary in order to further the social inclusion of the disabled. Furthering adult education and learning encompasses the creation and diffusion of professional information and knowledge as well as the acquirement of civic competencies needed to generate and to maintain networks, values and norms that are prerequisites of a human society in which people care of the disabled in accordance with their needs and help them to become fellow-men, fellow-citizens and fellow-workers in accordance with their possibilities.

The International SOFT Federation (ISF) has arised from co-operation for over ten years between the Hungarian SOFT and the Netherlands SOFT Tulip foundations aiming at the improvement of health care and welfare services in behalf of children and youngsters with disabilities primarily in Hungary. As an outcome of this co-operation, a network came into being encompassing Dutch, Hungarian and Romanian NGOs.

The further development of this network and the involvement of new NGO partners has effectively been stimulated by the European Union through financial support to the PHARE LIEN INTEPNet-Coop project which has been designed by the two SOFT foundations and implemented by them in co-operation with the Romanian Caritas Satu Mare in East Hungary/North-West and Mid Romania during the years 2000-2001. This project affected about 1000 families in 17 communities, moreover between thousand and fifteen hundred care professionals, whereas nearly 450 experts and parents of children with special needs were directly involved in training programmes.

The participants in the INTEPNet-Coop project realised that sustainable development of the health care and welfare services presupposes effective collaboration of NGOs not only within one country, but also in the whole region. Therefore, at the closing INTEPNET-Coop conference they have signed a Letter of Intent expressing their will to develop further their co-operation. Based on this document, subsequently a Foundation Assembly has established the International SOFT Federation.

between the Hungarian SOFT Alapítvány (Hungary), SOFT Tulip Foundation (The Netherlands), Szatmárnémeti Caritas (Romania), and the
other undersigned non-governmental organisations,

henceforth the Founding Partners

of the

INTERNATIONAL SOFT FEDERATION (ISF),

CONSIDERING the

a.       successful co-operation for over ten years between the Dutch and Hungarian SOFT Foundations;

b.       outcomes of the Phare Lien Project No. 98-1046 concerning International Training of Experts and Parents of Children and Youngsters with Disabilities for Network-building and Cooperation (INTEPNET-Coop);

c.       necessity of continuous efforts to advance the health care, education and welfare provisions in behalf of people with disabilities in the East Central European region;

d.       necessity of continuous efforts in the East Central European region to further the social inclusion of the disabled;

e.       need of cooperation on regional level and to improve dialogue between involved civil organisations, agencies responsible for health care, education and welfare provisions as well as local and regional authorities;

TAKING into account the

a.       autonomy and responsibilities of the separate Founding Partners as expressed in their own Statutes;

b.       cultural diversity in the East Central European region;

c.       importance of a strong civil society in view of peace and well-being in Europe;

the Founding Partners declare that:

1.       By this Letter of Intent, they plan to expand existing cooperative activities in the advancement of health care and welfare provisions on behalf of people with disabilities in the East Central European region;

2.       They welcome the accession of other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to the ISF;

3.       The cooperative activities are to be undertaken within the framework of an International SOFT Federation of non-governmental organisations (ISF) functioning under the law of the home country of one of them;

4.       Cooperation under this Letter of Intent is subject to the existing laws and regulations in effect in each country involved, and should serve to harmonize activities directed at the advancement of health care and welfare provisions in behalf of people with disabilities along the borders between the countries;

5.       Cooperation under this Letter of Intent is to be undertaken beginning with drafting the Statues of ISF.

6.       Under this Letter of Intent, ISF activities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

A) Harmonization and coordination of regional activities leading to the improvement of the health care, education and living conditions of the disabled;

B) The exchange of experience among personnel and volunteers of the NGOs involved, including methods of access and management of resources, training, and the generation of new problem solving strategies;

C) The implementation of education and training programs for the communities living on either side of the borders of the countries involved, and the encouragement of community participation in activities aiming at the social inclusion of people with disabilities;

D) Expansion of the body of social as well as scientific knowledge about medical, educational, welfare and policy issues concerning people with disabilities by co-operation in research and education projects and by the development of mutually-accessible information systems that permits identification of current situation and trends as well as by monitoring of developments in the concerned area;

E) Cooperation in efforts to acquire the means necessary in view of the realisation of the common goals.