Services to the handicapped and those with special needs

Since our arrival in the former Yugoslavia in 1995, besides helping in the post-war recovery, one of the areas that we identified as being very needy and one that we wanted to focus our attention on was that of helping the handicapped and those with special needs. Ex-Yugoslavia has not been known for its care of those with disabilities, and with this in mind, we wanted to do whatever we could to help. Our expertise developed over the years has been primarily in working with children who suffer from either physical or mental disabilities, and with that in mind, we set out to visit different homes and institutions to offer our services.

During our time in Kosovo (1999-2004) we worked very closely with “HandiKos”, a grassroots organization that offered services to the handicapped. After our move to Serbia in 2004, we began working with children who suffer from muscular dystrophy, and continue to this day to cooperate with the Muscular Dystrophy Association of  South Bačka Region (Udruženje Distrofičara Južnobačkog Okruga). In 2011 we began volunteering at the Milan Petrovič school for children with special needs, using music therapy, clown therapy, games, and animation on a regular basis. For the past year we have also been helping in the Milan Petrovič school English department. Introductory English language is taught in Serbian schools, but the teachers are rarely if ever native English speakers themselves.

To view the following photos on Healing Hearts Balkans Facebook page here.

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