Activities and projects
The work of Rankdarbių skrynia is inspired by initiatives that strive for greater social inclusion, equal opportunities and meaningful employment for people with disabilities.
The project “An Open Space to Improve”
We are taking part as partners in the project “An Open Space to Improve” (Atvira erdvė tobulėti). The project is implemented by Marijampolė Special Social Care Home.
As project partners, we are responsible for organising and delivering experiential and neuro-educational sessions that strengthen participants’ social, emotional and cognitive skills.
We are delighted to be part of this important project, which matters so much to our community.
Responsible for the publication: Marijampolė Special Social Care Home, msgn.lrv.lt.
#AtviraErdveTobuleti #Partnership #SocialInclusion #Marijampole #Community
Craft fair with “Pastelės namai”
On 23 September 2026, the social workshop Rankdarbių skrynia held a joint craft fair together with the social workshop Pastelės namai. Visitors could buy handmade items from both workshops – bags, cosmetic bags, jewellery and other products.
The fair was also visited by staff from the Kriaučiūnas Public Library – they came with gifts and chose several handmade items. After their visit, they shared these words:
“Visiting it, we enjoyed the creativity of the pieces, admired the careful craftsmanship and, of course, couldn't resist the chance to buy some lovely handmade items.”
Meetings like these matter a lot to us – they strengthen our sense of community and let us show the beautiful, high-quality things the people at our workshop create.
The DUOday initiative
A new stage for our organisation and service users
We are partners of the DUOday initiative – you can find us on the partner map.
What is DUOday?
DUOday is an international job-shadowing initiative that has been held across Europe for more than 15 years. During it, companies and organisations open their doors for one day to people with disabilities: they can spend the day together with employees, get to know the workplace, try out professions and experience a real working environment.
This initiative is especially important for Lithuania. It aims to draw attention to the pressing problem of employment for people with disabilities. Although employers speak in the media about labour shortages, people with disabilities struggle to find their way into the labour market. Unemployment among people with disabilities in Lithuania exceeds 70% – more than a hundred thousand people – and 40% of people with disabilities live below the poverty line. These figures do not change from year to year, and employment rates of people with disabilities in Lithuania are lower than the European Union average.
When?
In 2026, the DUOday initiative week took place on 21–29 May. The initiative is organised every spring.
What does this mean for our organisation?
We are looking for companies that would like to:
- host one of our participants with an intellectual disability for a day;
- give them the opportunity to “shadow” one of their employees;
- let them try themselves out in a real working environment.
This is not a commitment to employ. It is an opportunity to get to know each other, to experience, to break stereotypes and perhaps to discover a future employee. We will accompany, help and be there throughout the whole process.
If your company is open to cooperation – let’s get in touch!
More about the impact of the initiative: duoday.lt/duoday-poveikis
#DUOday #SocialResponsibility #ResponsibleBusiness #Inclusion #SocialImpact #OpenWorkplace #SeeingAbilities #OpportunityNotCharity
The gathering “In One Rhythm”
In June 2026, the social workshops of Tauragė and Marijampolė met for a joint gathering.
This year, the participants of the social workshop Rankdarbių skrynia had a wonderful opportunity to take part in the gathering “In One Rhythm” (Vienu ritmu), held at the cosy and welcoming Tuki Tuki kaimas homestead in the Šakiai district.
What we enjoyed most was the warm atmosphere, the sincere conversations and the chance to feel that together we are building a strong, friendly and supportive community. We came home full of impressions and lovely memories – we grow and create together.
What inspires us
The directions close to us are reflected in projects that aim to help people with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities:
- gain work skills;
- prepare to enter the labour market;
- become active members of the community.
In Lithuania, we are inspired by these initiatives
- Employment promotion programmes for people with disabilities, funded by the European Social Fund.
- The development of social workshops, aimed at building work skills and moving into the open labour market.
- Projects for the transition from institutional care to community-based services, strengthening independence and social participation.
Why this matters to us
These initiatives show that meaningful work, respect for the person and a sense of community are essential values of modern society.
Through its daily work, Rankdarbių skrynia contributes to these goals – we create opportunities that change people’s lives.