The education project of Speranta Center for disabled children and the innovational project of Blind People Society of Moldova for visually impaired people have been internationally appreciated in Prague, at the final ceremony of ERSTE Foundation Award for Social Integration 2011, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to organizers, the 36 winners, including those from Moldova, will receive prizes to the total value of €613,000, as 132 finalists will obtain other benefits, such as PR support by experts, funded for two years by the ERSTE Foundation, participation in workshops that will allow them to develop various skills, promotion within the ERSTE Foundation Social Integration Network and others. Besides the announced award categories, there were six special awards: two offered by the jury, three by the 132 finalist organizations that voted the best projects, awarded with €15,000 each, and one by the Erste Group employees, who chose their favorite project. “We started this prize in 2007, as we believe in a society without prejudices and with equal rights for everyone. In order to build such a society, each of us must contribute”, said Andreas Treichl, board president of the ERSTE Foundation and CEO of Erste Group. “The winner organizations dedicate their whole activity to this goal. What we can do is to offer public recognition of their dedication and of the special results they have achieved and to follow their example”, he added. The ERSTE Foundation Award for Social Integration 2011 Jury included 18 experts from Croatia, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, etc. The contest participants were organizations from 12 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Moldova took part for the first time and had 8 organizations among the finalists.