Organization from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Association “Oaza”
The Association for Support of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in the Sarajevo Canton “Oaza” is a non-governmental and non-profit civil society organization that works to improve the rights and protection of persons with intellectual disabilities, founded in 1960.
The “OAZA” association has 562 active and passive members who obtain the necessary information to exercise their personal rights, register for certain donations, participate in activities inside and outside the day center, use the services of a social worker, psychologist, occupational therapist, music therapist, and sports and physical education teacher.
Vision
Our vision is equal status and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the local community. In order to be closer to this goal, we implement plans and programs every day that will help people with intellectual disabilities to acquire new knowledge, skills and ways of behaving. This undertaking is complex and requires an individual and holistic approach to each individual. If we take into account that people with intellectual disabilities have limited social cognition at birth, it is clear that, above all, we work on bringing them closer together and building trust with each other. In addition to the above, it is important to point out that the reduced ability to understand the demands of the environment, limited emotional development and personality development with delayed development of the concept of self, low self-esteem, atypical defense mechanisms that are manifested in the fixation of earlier forms of behavior and maladapted forms of defense (denial, withdrawal, regression ) – longer dependence on the social environment that leads to social and professional limitations.
About
Association “Oaza” provides support to people with intellectual disabilities and their families, by developing programs in the field of education, work training, social inclusion and rehabilitation for the purpose of preparation and training for independent living with support, through public advocacy, in the local community, which is the mission of associations.
Association “OAZA” offers a wide range of activities for its membership, which are available and left to the personal choice of each member. First of all, each activity records the initial state of the member, and based on individual possibilities and abilities, a work plan and program is drawn up.
Art workshop, Natural soap making workshop, Jewelry making workshop, Weaving workshop, Frame making workshop, Music therapy and Individual and Group therapy with a psychologist contribute to emotional and cognitive development. In this place, we will highlight inclusion in sports, which we are particularly fond of and whose realization is being helped by the Swedish non-governmental organization My Right BiH – empowers people with disabilities – office in Sarajevo. By implementing this project, we managed to encourage a large number of people with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports, while some of them crystallized into athletes with enviable results. These are athletes who today not only train in regular sports clubs, but are also equal competitors at the Federal level.
Therefore, the Association “OAZA” has optimized and adapted its wide range of activities to its membership as much as possible, the results of which are measurable and visible, which is the most important motive for our further intentions.
Association “Oaza” provides support to people with intellectual disabilities and their families by developing programs in the field of education, job training, social inclusion and rehabilitation for the purpose of preparation and training for independent living with support through public advocacy in the local community. In the past period, we have implemented many projects with which we send a message to the wider community that people with intellectual disabilities are equal and active citizens of all local communities. This type of support and involvement is not only help and empathic support, but an example of adequate respect and appreciation of documents that guarantee all the rights of people with intellectual disabilities, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Contact Us
- Phone Numbers
+387 33 766 526
+387 33 766 525
- Emails
oaza@udruzenjeoaza.ba
- Website
Equality For All is a network of organizations from the Western Balkans region that provides support to people with special needs and difficulties in development in each of the countries in the region, as well as in the region as a whole.