REHABILITATION CENTER FOR CHILDREN WITH COGNITIVE AND/OR PHYSICAL DISABILITIES IN ŠIROKI BRIJEG

Project co-financed by 5x1000, own funds and donations.

Our local partner: Rehabilitation Center for children with physical and/or cognitive disabilities “Marija Nasa Nada” (“Mary Our Hope”).

The Center was built thanks to the support of Don Gnocchi Foundation also through various co-financing from public entities and was inaugurated in September 2004.

Managed by a partnership with neighboring municipalities, local and Italian associations, it represents a point of reference for the surrounding area. Over the years, the Foundation has invested significant resources, human and economic - in the capacity development of professional skills of staff at the Centre, particularly in the field of rehabilitation - and management. Furthermore, in May 2018, thanks to the support of the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, a new department of the Center dedicated to autism spectrum disorders was inaugurated.

To date, the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation is a co-opted member of the Board of Directors and carries out activities of economic support, capacity building and mentoring in the management of the Center, above all to strengthen the skills of the staff from an administrative, communication, project planning and fundraising.

Context

Even though Bosnia and Herzegovina is slowly recovering from the damage caused by the ruinous war, the constantly changings and adapting healthcare system remains inaccessible to some, especially people with disabilities. Fragmentation and administrative-institutional complexity of the system make both reforms and the implementation of cooperation aid difficult on the territory.

Need

The country, which was in slow but constant economic and social development, found itself at the beginning of 2020 due to Covid 19 having to face a crisis in various aspects, both health and economic, the latter worsened by the global crisis of the 2022 which also led to a sharp increase in inflation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For this reason, financial support, educational and health interventions continue to be necessary to rebuild a solid social fabric, especially in the area of the rights of persons with disability. The Center responds to a concrete need for services in the social, health and rehabilitation fields for patients in the developmental age, suffering from physical and/or cognitive disabilities.

Areas of intervention

The program consists in mentoring the management of the Center from an organizational, managerial, and administrative point of view, as well as the supervision of staff training, support in project planning and fund-raising activities. It is important to highlight that it is recognized as a Center of excellence in taking care of patients with disabilities by the community.

The areas of intervention are:

• promotion of a health management model for the development of the Center in its complexity, including capacity building activities and strengthening of aspects related to communication, visibility, and fundraising
• strengthening home service and providing employment also through support for the application to the specific local calls and tenders
• strengthening of the network with other local organizations dealing with disabilities
• training of collaborators in the socio-health and administrative fields strengthening of the network with other local organizations dealing with disabilities
• creation of new partnerships, for example with the University of Mostar.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of the project are all the staff and the patients of "Marija Nasa Nada" Center of Široki Brijeg. The indirect beneficiaries include the families of the assisted persons, the entire surrounding community, as well as the local institutions directly involved.

Completed projects and activities in 2023

Activity: "Let’s Play"

Financed by local companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local Partner: Rehabilitation Center for Children with Physical and/or Cognitive Disabilities “Marija Naša Nada” (“Mary Our Hope”)
Collaboration: Support in project management and fundraising by FDCG
In 2022, the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation recognized the need to reconstruct a playground on the premises of the local partner in Široki Brijeg, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to make it accessible for children with disabilities. During this activity, which focused on strengthening project management and fundraising aspects, the local partner developed their skills and secured donors for the renovation of the playground. The inclusive playground was inaugurated on March 27, 2023. Today, it benefits over 500 children, both with and without disabilities.

Project: "The Care of Children with Disabilities: An Interdisciplinary Approach in Rehabilitation. The Experience of Don Gnocchi Foundation".

Financed by Fondazione Don Gnocchi, University of Mostar, and Ottobock
Collaboration: University of Mostar; Ministry of Health, Labor, and Social Welfare of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton; Rehabilitation Center for Children with Physical and/or Cognitive Disabilities “Marija Naša Nada” (“Mary Our Hope”); Ottobock.
After thorough research and analysis of the current needs in the rehabilitation sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fondazione Don Gnocchi identified the importance of a holistic approach. Consequently, they initiated a collaboration with the University of Mostar in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, organizing a two-day workshop for students from various departments and a one-day conference for professionals from across the country.__ More than 250 students and professionals participated__. The lectures were delivered by a team of seven FDCG professionals who emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork and the expertise of the Don Gnocchi Foundation.

Project: "Play Beyond Borders"

Financed by Fondazione Don Gnocchi, MyRights Sweden, Special Olympics, local partners, and local companies
Collaboration: Rehabilitation Center for Children with Physical and/or Cognitive Disabilities “Marija Naša Nada” (“Mary Our Hope”); The Association for Support of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in the Sarajevo Canton “Oaza”; MyRights Sweden; Special Olympics; City of Sarajevo

The goal of this project is to improve the physical and mental well-being of persons with disabilities through sport and rehabilitation. The project featured a partnership between our local partner, Center “Marija Naša Nada,” and Association ‘OAZA’ with a focus on inclusive sports. The project had several phases: the first phase involved psychological preparatory workshops for therapists, parents, and persons with disabilities who were direct beneficiaries. The second phase was a sports camp for 30 athletes with disabilities, preparing them for the next phase, the 13th Sport Games organized in Sarajevo in collaboration with MyRights and Special Olympics Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had over 300 participants. Renovating facilities for sports activities was planned to ensure ongoing physical activities even after the project ended. In the final phase, athletes from both partners visited the International Sport Games in Malmö, Sweden, in February 2024, participating in bocc.