NADA

1. NADA Hope for Children

2. NADA Contact and social intercourse with handicapped persons differs in many countries, depending on their social standards and cultural backgrounds. Marginalization of disabled persons is normal, their social needs are not accepted. Especially children, living in rural districts are locked up at home and often they have no possibility to attend school or other public institutions. Special assistance for advancing personality development for example isn`t available in the region. Our project NADA (hope) has been doing pioneering work in this field for six years. We are engaged with retarded and disabled children. Families are supported in educating their children. Nada offers different therapeutic measures for groups as well as for individual persons. Children are supported by improving their mental and physical skills, as well as their social behaviour. AWO Domovinska basta Ul. Hasan Kikica bb79260 Sanski MostBosnien und Herzegowina Phone: ++387- 37- 68 26 02 Fax: ++387- 37- 68 21 14 awosanskimost @ gmx.net NADA Contact and Information Amela Omic Phone: ++387- 37- 68 26 02Fax: ++387- 37- 68 21 14 Donation account Bank: Volksbank BH DD SWIFT Code: VBSABA 22 Account No.: 5020120-193960 Benficiary name: Podured AWO Domovinska bašta Hasana Kikića bb,Sanski Most IBAN CODE : BA 391401010019396056 Partner: AWO Bremerhaven, Germany www.heimatgarten.de Hope for Children

3. NADA Hope for Children The `NADA` project initially specializedin psychological support of children traumatized by war. In the meantime it looks after groups of children and youngsters with impediments. Fifteen children, 6 girls and 9 boys, receive continuous support at the moment. The therapy is long term, most children remain in care on an average of 3 years, some even longer. NADA offers as well individual consulting hours,since the waiting list for those who ask for admission is constantly growing. The project works with children who are handicapped physically as well as mentally. They are encouraged with games and conversations to cope with the traumatizing events they have lived through. They should learn to listen to each other, to understand each other and to solve their conflicts without violence. Part of the therapeutic concept is the collaboration with their parents, who are supported in educational questions simultaneously. They should learn how to promote and straightly support their children at home. NADA (english: hope) was founded by the German NGO Arbeiterwohlfahrtin 2002. It is a social project for handicapped children and children who are traumatized by war. Our service is especially for children aged 7 to 18 years, living in the district of Sanski Most. NADA was founded Now NADA is part of the foundationAWO Heimatgarten Bosnia-Herzegowina. Project manager: Christa Steinhäuser Remedial teacher:Amela Omić “In the beginning, we had to go to the mountains for collecting children. Meanwhile our successful work is quite famous. Today parents are contacting us directly, asking for our help.”(Amela Omić) Sanski Most NADA

4. In addition there are different play-therapeutic activities such as creative figuring, dancing and theatre. • Since the foundation of NADA, more than already 20 children have been intensely examined and could finish their therapy. • Course of the therapy • Our most important purpose is: Give them a helping hand as long they are not able to support themselves. • The therapy program contains modules for improving abilities and skills for selfcare as well as training units to raise the competence of the children in their motor activity and linguistics. • The program supports personality developement, improves communication skills, enhances creativity and fantasy, advances physical abilities and body language, too. The training is inductive to attain self-assurance, self-confidence and self-respect. Social competences and teamwork are exercised as well as a postitive self-perception by accepting one´s own handicap. • These measures all support the children with their daily needs: • Exercises for improving fine and gross • motor skills • Concentration and retentivity training • Routines for linguistic competences. • We are working with individual and group therapies. • One therapy unit for example includes: • 10 minutes concentration training game (puzzle, memory...), • 20 minutes determined work on one topic (reading, writing...), • 5 minutes stress relaxation recreation and preparation for the next topic, • 20 minutes determined work on one topic (calculation, drawing, endurance...), • 5 minutes conclusion (deepening the topic by a game) Individual therapy Biweekly individual therapy is offered to all clients. Children, who have got no possibility to reach our institute in Sanski Most are visited at home. Individual therapy improves especially cognitive competences like course matters and linguistic developement. Group therapy At most eight children weekly meet for group sessions. One session lasts about three hours and the methodical setting improves creative potentials. Motorical skills, fantasy and interests can be developed as well as self-confidence and self-respect. The groupsituation allows children stressless training and testing themselves. Therapy is performed in suitable rooms or directly at the families homes. Children are brought along by their parents, if this is not possible, we are organizing a car service. Starting therapy, all children are illiterate. During the course of the therapy most of them can be integrated into regular schools. NADA Hope for Children