POMOZI IZBEGLICAMA

Da li voliš da pomažeš drugima u nevolji? Želiš da pružiš podršku ljudima koji beže od rata i nasilja, a koji su se na svom putu našli u Srbiji? Želiš da slobodno vreme koje imaš provedeš radeći nešto korisno i za sebe i za druge?

Centar za zaštitu i pomoć tražiocima azila (APC/CZA) poziva sve koji žele pruže direktnu podršku tražiocima azila i migrantima, doprinesu stvaranju tolerantnog i otvorenog društva i suzbijanju predrasuda i ksenofobije da se priključe mreži APC/CZA volontera.

Volonter može biti svako ko je punoletan, ima vremena i želje da pomogne ljudima u nevolji i nema predrasuda prema ljudima drugih nacija, vera ili rasa.

Ukoliko imaš želju da pomogneš i vremena da se aktivno uključiš u redovne aktivnosti Centra za zaštitu i pomoć tražiocima azila (APC/CZA) kontaktiraj nas za više informacija.

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Colaboration with local community

Our organization is collaborating with the Center for Abandoned Children in Banja Koviljaca, health centers, centers for social work, police stations and local authorities of Bogovadja and Banja Koviljaca since the very beginning of the realization of workshops. The collaboration is made place through joint planning and implementation of creative workshops, informal meetings and children gatherings between children from asylum center and those who are placed it in the Center for Abandoned Children and there are also informal meetings and children gatherings.

Working with women

One workshop from one of three program units (psychological empowerment, creative, health and workshops based on cultural differences) is once a week realized with women from different countries in the Asylum Centers, Banja Koviljaca and Bogovadja.

Through psychological empowerment workshops participants are dealing with the concepts such as identity and group membership, trust-building, communication, ways to respond to conflict situations, partner violence, recognition and expression of emotions.

Workshop based on cultural differences are directed on two levels - one is to inform and compare customs, daily life and the position of women in countries from which asylum seekers are coming from, Serbia and the western and northern Europe. The second level is related to the understanding of cultural factors and levels of adjustment to the new culture where participants are encouraged to research and have a constructive approach to the community in which they are going.

Health topics such as identification and transmission of skin infections, personal hygiene, conditions during the journey, the changed conditions of coexistence with a large number of people, hygiene education for children, healthy balanced diet, menstrual cycle and sexually transmitted diseases are presented and discussed either through form of workshops or interactive lectures with the use of video and printed working materials.

Women also take part in creative workshops with henna painting, which is very popular in Afghanistan.

A large percentage of women are completely uneducated and this is the first structured form of activities in which they participate. Also, new approach in which the participants are expected to present their opinion and discuss with other women gradually becomes closer to the women who are coming from Afghanistan and Somalia. An important component of the workshops is to establish a dialogue and tolerance for coexistence between people from different countries.

Workshops with children

Workshops with the children are implemented towards achieving three general goals - encouraging creative expression, integration with children from the local communities and development of the capacity to participate in structured group activities.

One part of workshops consists art workshops that encourage creative expression and development of children's imagination - working with clay and ceramics, drawing, using different techniques, making kites, masks, musical instruments.

Especially interesting are kites making workshops that are attractive for children of all participating countries bearing in mind that the game of making kites is one of the most popular in Asia among children and adults. Workshops of kites making are also very interesting to the pupils of local schools who are inspired to get involved.

The second part of workshops is implemented through structured activities that encourage team work, lead to development of respect in the group, group agreements and other individuals, the development of tolerance, the willingness to present ideas in front of other children, raising self-confidence.

Through the cooperation with the local community, especially with the Center for Abandoned Children and Primary school "Vera Blagojevic" in Banja Koviljaca, there are carefully planned joint workshops and informal gatherings for children from Banja Koviljaca and children asylum seekers.

Most program activities are implemented with children age 7 to 12. With a group of children over 14 years old that are located in Bogovadja there are efforts to development of support and help, especially in the translation, in realization of the program with younger children.

With the youngest children (under 4) it is worked through ad hoc activities and free play, usually in the presence of mothers after which they would continue talking about the upbringing and education.

In the Institute for Education of Children and Youth "Vasa Stajić" in Belgrade where unaccompanied minors are temporarily housed at the Department for foreigners, through workshops or group discussions minors are informed about the lodging and conditions in the asylum centers in Serbia, with differences between Serbian culture and the cultures they are coming from, constructive approach in conflicts.. If necessary, the APC team works with them individualy.

Why women and children as a target group

As the majority of asylum seekers are coming from the patriarchal societies in which men are always the ones who represent the family and make important decisions so women are always in the shadow, we believe that women and children asylum seekers are two micro groups that should be empowered to engage in health, educational and social context of the local community. It's a long process but we believe that the empowerment of women, through the various forms of non-formal education, working on raising their self-esteem, encouraging them to make contact with other people, actually contributes to the breaking of prejudices of the role of women, about her subordinate position and certainly the development of motivation for learning and associating with other people. It is therefore an ongoing process and reflects the changes in the role of men in the family. Certainly, one should not expect rapid and radical change in this area because we need to be aware of the phase in which the most asylum seekers are while being in Serbia - transit, one of the steps between the country of origin and their destination.

At the beginning of our work, reactions of the men and women were different. They were all a bit confused. We explained to men what we are doing and what we are talking about with their wives. As the hosts, we were trying to make all changes (related to rules, duration, structure) to be gradual, with constant explanations and consultation with participants. Often the men would drop in to see what's happening and it often happened that men were the ones who were helping women in the care of orphans while they were in our workshops. This behavior can be understood as the beginning of change in traditional family roles.

During the initial interviewing women at the very beginning of workshops release, we have come to data that no woman who was hosted with her family in the asylum center was not in the center of a town, in a store, a market or at a coffee shop. Now that image changed to a great extent, even the older girls took the role of the family shopping. Eventually, we have involved girls older than 16 in the workshops.

Moreover, children are the crucial micro group of asylum seekers that should be involved in contributing the social integration and inclusion into the community. They are growing up in different countries, different circumstances, surrounded by children from other countries and cultures, they are learning language from each other, overcome barriers and patterns of adults and they are more willing to engage in civil society.

Objectives and programs of work with women and children

In 2012 Asylum Protection Center realizes interactive workshops with women and children in both asylum centers in Serbia – Banja Koviljaca and Bogovadja. After identifying the problems in the local community in Banja Koviljaca during 2011, strengthening on the one hand those who are asylum seekers, but on the other, establishing contacts and creating an opportunity to meet representatives of the local communities, our organization contributes to the development of a tolerant and open society, which will at some point be ready for two-way communication, and intercultural dialogue.

With the women and older girls who are accommodated in asylum centers there are organized workshops with an aim to involve women and children asylum seekers, beneficiaries of the program in the existing system: health, social, educational, local and other, as well as raising awareness of the women asylum seekers about the rights they are entitled, on their sovereign and independent position in the family and learning how to undertake these rights and skills independently.

The working principles are based on participation, freedom and voluntarism, mutual respect and cooperation.