Download report for 2008 (PDF format) - Telenor
Download report for 2008 (PDF format) - Telenor
Download report for 2008 (PDF format) - Telenor
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CHANCE FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES<br />
December <strong>2008</strong> – December <strong>2008</strong> - More than 180 patients of the Special Hospital <strong>for</strong> Rehabilitation and<br />
Prosthetics now have a Social Club, the only place which helps disabled people through activities aimed at<br />
reinclusion in families and social life. At the Club, which occupies a renovated and equipped space, an expert team<br />
will carry out educational and inclusive programs. All activities are designed with the aim of providing users with an<br />
opportunity to learn and participate, as well as to socialize and relax.<br />
The launching of the Social Club has been made possible by the <strong>Telenor</strong> Foundation, in cooperation with the Special<br />
Hospital <strong>for</strong> Rehabilitation and Prosthetics and the Centre <strong>for</strong> Quality Education. On this occasion, which coincided<br />
with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Stein Erik Vellan, the CEO of <strong>Telenor</strong> Serbia visited<br />
the Special Hospital.<br />
The Club beneficiaries learn computer skills, participate in employment and professional retraining counseling, and<br />
learn about their rights, defined by the laws of the Republic of Serbia. Activities facilitating their reinclusion in social<br />
life are important, as are activities contributing their independent functioning. Workshops <strong>for</strong> psychosocial support,<br />
creative workshops, organized visits to theatres or cinemas, entertaining evenings, in<strong>for</strong>mal socializing and watching<br />
television contribute to better integration and easier and more successful reinclusion in families and social life.<br />
“There are more than 700,000 disabled persons in Serbia and only one institution specialized in their rehabilitation<br />
- this Special Hospital. The waiting list is very long, while a shortage of staff and other resources <strong>for</strong> proper work is<br />
evident. Thanks to the <strong>Telenor</strong> Foundation, conditions <strong>for</strong> more comprehensive rehabilitation of users, which has<br />
previously included only physical rehabilitation and recuperation, have been established. What is often neglected is<br />
the fact that the most difficult thing <strong>for</strong> people who suffered such trauma to accept their disadvantages and move<br />
on. Love, strength and optimism are then necessary both <strong>for</strong> those who need support and those who are there to<br />
provide this support,” says Biljana Vidaković Maksimović, the Director of the Special Hospital <strong>for</strong> Rehabilitation<br />
and Prosthetics.<br />
Users have promptly confirmed that they are highly interested in activities of the Social Club, and appreciation of<br />
those who work with them on a daily basis is evident as well.<br />
“In the year of equal opportunities, when one of the main objectives is to fight discrimination of disabled people, the<br />
establishment of the Social Club is a good example of an approach to the affirmation of rights of disabled persons<br />
in the long run. This initiative encourages disabled people to focus on their personal growth and provides them with<br />
strength to equally participate in the society,” explains Jelena Čoko from the Centre <strong>for</strong> Quality Education.<br />
18 Corporate Responsibility