CHANCE FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES December <strong>2008</strong> – December <strong>2008</strong> - More than 180 patients of the Special Hospital <strong>for</strong> Rehabilitation and Prosthetics now have a Social Club, the only place which helps disabled people through activities aimed at reinclusion in families and social life. At the Club, which occupies a renovated and equipped space, an expert team will carry out educational and inclusive programs. All activities are designed with the aim of providing users with an opportunity to learn and participate, as well as to socialize and relax. The launching of the Social Club has been made possible by the <strong>Telenor</strong> Foundation, in cooperation with the Special Hospital <strong>for</strong> Rehabilitation and Prosthetics and the Centre <strong>for</strong> Quality Education. On this occasion, which coincided with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Stein Erik Vellan, the CEO of <strong>Telenor</strong> Serbia visited the Special Hospital. The Club beneficiaries learn computer skills, participate in employment and professional retraining counseling, and learn about their rights, defined by the laws of the Republic of Serbia. Activities facilitating their reinclusion in social life are important, as are activities contributing their independent functioning. Workshops <strong>for</strong> psychosocial support, creative workshops, organized visits to theatres or cinemas, entertaining evenings, in<strong>for</strong>mal socializing and watching television contribute to better integration and easier and more successful reinclusion in families and social life. “There are more than 700,000 disabled persons in Serbia and only one institution specialized in their rehabilitation - this Special Hospital. The waiting list is very long, while a shortage of staff and other resources <strong>for</strong> proper work is evident. Thanks to the <strong>Telenor</strong> Foundation, conditions <strong>for</strong> more comprehensive rehabilitation of users, which has previously included only physical rehabilitation and recuperation, have been established. What is often neglected is the fact that the most difficult thing <strong>for</strong> people who suffered such trauma to accept their disadvantages and move on. Love, strength and optimism are then necessary both <strong>for</strong> those who need support and those who are there to provide this support,” says Biljana Vidaković Maksimović, the Director of the Special Hospital <strong>for</strong> Rehabilitation and Prosthetics. Users have promptly confirmed that they are highly interested in activities of the Social Club, and appreciation of those who work with them on a daily basis is evident as well. “In the year of equal opportunities, when one of the main objectives is to fight discrimination of disabled people, the establishment of the Social Club is a good example of an approach to the affirmation of rights of disabled persons in the long run. This initiative encourages disabled people to focus on their personal growth and provides them with strength to equally participate in the society,” explains Jelena Čoko from the Centre <strong>for</strong> Quality Education. 18 Corporate Responsibility
Social Club at the Special Hospital <strong>for</strong> Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Prosthetics, Belgrade Corporate Responsibility 19