Eighteen UN Community Volunteers are part of Sustaining peace and social cohesion in Bosnia and Herzegovina through enhanced inter-municipal and inter-entity cooperation on local services (SPSC) – a project to support social welfare centers and social protection departments in nine municipalities across Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There was no speech therapy service in Bosanski Petrovac says Senija Ferizović, "As someone whose focus is speech therapy, I work with children and adults facing communication difficulties. Due to the high number of similar challenges occurring in different age groups, I have conducted various activities with beneficiaries, gaining new practices from assessment, intervention, stimulation, to individual and group work. This type of assistance and support cannot be obtained in other institutions in our community. This work requires patience, creativity, continuity, and adaptability to provide each person with adequate support in developing communication skills and responding to individual needs."
Adema Čarkić from Ključ values the importance of listening, "I have noticed how warmth, kindness, and support are important to all beneficiaries of the center. For many of them, simply sharing their problems is enough to feel better. Considering the large number of beneficiaries seeking help, the employees of the social welfare centers bear a heavy burden. Therefore, I believe that this project is extremely useful, as it provides valuable assistance to the centers. I hope that similar opportunities for support and relief in their work will continue to arise in the future."
Maja Pilipović from Drvar shares, "I have prepared many settlements for our social protection department during my assignment related to various legal tasks and engagements. Working with clients and getting acquainted with the situation and needs in our municipality helped me become closer to people and getting the opportunity for a different acquaintance with life in our Municipality – the life that the most vulnerable in our society live. At the same time, I am involved in discussions related to the establishment and opening of the social welfare center supported by SPSC, which still does not exist in our municipality. This represents a significant step forward facilitated by this project."
Local-level assistance and social welfare support is crucial role in building sustainable communities. Volunteering is a concrete solution to lift community members and empower them to shape their own lives.
Our role through this project truly has a deep impact on shaping the society within local communities." UN Community Volunteers with the SPSC project in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Along with supporting the communities, UN Volunteers got an opportunity to acquire new knowledge and interpersonal skills. "I had no opportunity for direct communication with the center's clients. Now, through my daily work and research conducted by UNDP on mapping of social assistance and support services, in which I directly participated through field visits, I encountered many stories and the real needs of people. I have improved some of my personal skills and knowledge in communication, as well as working in social service databases," shares Haris Bašić from Glamoč.
Nino Šapina from Livno adds, "I am part of a project that brings benefits to all of us and immense hope for a new and prosperous tomorrow, both through the improvement of social services and infrastructure components as well. Our role through this project truly has a deep impact on shaping the society within local communities. I am happy to see concrete progress within the social welfare center where I am engaged, and I believe that conditions will be even better for our beneficiaries in the future."
The testimonials of UN Volunteers serving in this project demonstrate the support extended to the most vulnerable in society, making many services possible that were previously unavailable.
The SPSC project is funded by the United Nations Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).