|
The J-fund in Bosnia & Herzegovina
The Jfund active in Bosnia & Herzegovina since 2005 working in cooperation with the "Melaha micro-credit fund" situated in Sarajevo. The Jfund has strong cooperation with the Jewish communities in Bosnia and works with cooperation with different associations for disabled persons. In Bosnia & Herzegovina the Jfund has assisted over 30 different projects creating employment possibilities for more than 90 disabled persons. Following are a few of the stories;
1. In village Knespolje, near Siroki Brijeg, West Herzegovina, there is a small plastic recycling center on the Glavina family estate, working under the auspices of Utjeha, association of persons with special needs. Open since 2005, the center employs only persons with special needs. They operate plastic grinding machines producing pellet which is then used in the extruder to make different types of plastic pipes. Mrs. Tatjana Kosak, herself a person with serious deformities is the leader of this family company. to read more about UTJEHA please press....
2. In addition to educating and training persons with muscular dystrophy, our main business and source of income are printing services. We print books, brochures, advertising material and so on. Thanks to the Jewish Community of Banja Luka and the JFund, we were able to upgrade our equipment and raised the quality of our services to a higher level. to read more about DYSTROPHY center please press....
3. Actually, this recently renovated and furnished restaurant with a decades-long tradition is only an economic base which should generate money for a project I’ve been trying to realize for a long time already. My intention is to found a big outdoor school at Mrkovici, a beautiful wooded mountain near Sarajevo and to employ there persons with special needs who would work with children with special needs. There are many children in our city that have lost one parent or both parents, as well as many children with special needs, either born with a disability or deformity, or disabled due to the war. to read more about SETALISTE please press....
4. Established this year, the Regional Environmental Office (REK) is a specific agency engaged in development of environmental protection projects. Although local communities do have legal responsibility to develop an environmental protection program and are required to have a development document, officially called Local Environmental Action Plan, or LEAP, only 35 out of 148 municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have completed this task. to read more about REK please press...
5. There is a modest and dilapidated prefabricated hut in Beogradska Street 8, Banja Luka, which would not be unusual at all, (such buildings can be found in all our cities), if not for the fact that it houses a small enterprise called GRISS founded by the Humanitarian Organization Partner. Nor would this be unusual either, except that this company employs solely and exclusively persons with grave physical disabilities. All twelve employees are persons with special needs, and the director himself, Mr. Zeljko Mastikosa, is a person with dystrophy. to read more about PARTNER please press....
6. About forty kilometers from Doboj, in direction of Tuzla, the wooded slopes of Mount Ozren gird the shores of a small artificial lake. A spacious, two storey building is being built into solid rock on the shore. Rough construction works have been completed, and now rustic doors and windows are being installed and concrete walls are being covered with stone and wood panels. As planned by the owner, Mr. Stanoje Radeljic, skilled workers are constructing in the shade of centennial pine trees, a restaurant and a motel, Orlovsko Jezero. to read more about ORLOVSKO JEZERO please press....
7. The name Librag is an abbreviation for ‘deaf locksmith and tinsmith workshop’. Established in 1996, this small organization employs only seven persons, who are all either born deaf or have serious hearing impairment. The head of this organization is Mrs. Jasminka Karahasanovic, a civil construction engineer who herself uses a hearing aid in daily communication with her family, employees and business associates. ‘This organization has been established with a basic goal to educate, train and eventually employ persons with hearing impairment. to read more about LIBRAG please press....
8. Seven kilometers from the center of Doboj, on a long-abandoned, weed-grown fire-fighting reservoir surrounded by pine forest, a delightful artificial lake and beautiful picnic spot have been created by ingenious and hardworking entrepreneurs, as well as Sport and Recreation Center ‘Goransko jezero’, named after the lake. Having visited the lake on a November morning, we realized that tourist season was over long ago. The place was quiet and peaceful, and the only sounds that could be heard were those of hammer and of construction works coming from the log cabin restaurant. We were received by Mr. Borislav Babic, a co-owner. to read more about GORANSKO JEZERO please press....
9. The fundamental idea behind the project is to collect both wild grown and plantation grown herbs and process them to obtain quality essential oils, which are in high demand, as well as scented water, a by- product of the process. Some time ago, I perambulated the hills, meadows and pastures and found out there was plenty of wild sage (Salvia officinalis), heather (Calluna Vulgaris), juniper (Juniperus communis), lemon balm (Mellisa officinalis) and many other medicinal and ethereal herbs. Having plenty of unused agricultural land on our estate, we plowed 20 dunams (4.9 acres) and plan spring-sowing of lemon balm, sage and lavender (Lavandula latifolia). to read more about GAJTIC please press....
10. Our Company name is DES, which stands for People with impaired hearing’ says Mr. Dzemo Basic, a longtime director of the company which employs a large number of deaf and hard of hearing persons. ‘We employ more than 98 persons with special needs. Beside providing manufacturing and services we also train young individuals with hearing loss. After a successful completion of a three- year- traineeship they are awarded a certificate of proficiency in graphic arts, photography, apparel and textiles, engraving or seal making’. to read more about DES please press...
11. There is a small beauty salon in the basement of the Mlađenović family house, in the suburb of Banja Luka, called Dara Hair and Beauty Salon. The Mlađenović family had fled Croatia during the war, leaving all they had behind and bringing along only their work skills. In the years after the war they erected a new house through diligence, and founded a new beauty salon. Beside the owner, Mrs. Goranka Mlađenović, this small family firm employs 6 more persons, out of whom two are persons with special needs: Miss Zorica Pozderovic is a deaf masseur and Miss Slađana Dželaja, a war amputee, is a make-up artist. to read more DARA please press....
12. Tracking the flow of JFund credit funds, we arrived at Café Delfin on a gloomy and rainy Sunday morning. The outdoor chairs and tables were put away beneath the eaves. Inside, in a small but recently white -washed and refurbished restaurant, everything was bright and clear. The owner of this lovely café, Mrs. Elvira Salcin was attending to customers. We started a conversation about cost-effectiveness of this kind of business, since cafes in Sarajevo can be found around almost every corner. to read more about CAFE DELFIN please press....
13. Sorel Auto Company from Doboj, Central Bosnia has been operating in the used car market since 2005. We talked with Mr. Sorel Blagojevic, one of the partners in this privately owned company which in this time of global economic crisis faces many problems. ‘We import used cars from the European Union, service them and resell them through our agency. In addition, we issue vehicle registration certificates and run a car wash service which is primarily used to prepare and beautify the vehicles for sale.’ to read more about Sorel AUTO please press....
14. Finally, we mention the subject of our interest, i.e. the employment of persons with special needs. ‘With your non-interest credit of 30.000 KM’, says Mr. Sofrenic, ‘we’ve secured working posts for three employees. They earn 278 to 370 KM monthly, depending on their job level. Mico Maksimovic is a gatekeeper; Bruno Stanojevic is a receptionist whereas Stanojevic Stojan performs packaging operations. As you can see, these jobs are easy and suitable for their work capabilities (degree of their disability)’. to read more about LIMEX please press...
15. "Before this unfortunate war and the ensuing confusion over who now owns companies that used to be part of the Yugoslav socialist regime, we were a strong company. We used to employ over one hundred workers with special needs, mostly persons with impaired hearing or deaf. We were well-known in the city. Everybody knew about the humane aspect of our business, and our services were constantly in demand". to read more about COLOR SERVICE please press...
16. Both my husband and I have in our respective families persons with similar disabilities who have been registered at the Unemployment Bureau for years. They could not find a job due to their disabilities. Now as we expand our family business we will be able to employ them. This loan opens up an opportunity to help these people as well.to read more about EKO please press...
17. ‘As in any other business, money is the main issue. To plant something one needs money for the seed, fertilizer, irrigation system, heating, etc. Then you have to wait for the flower to spring up and bloom. During this time you need to pay your employees, overall expenses and taxes. Luckily, I found out through the Jewish community about no-interest loans available through the JFund and decided to apply with my project. They were supportive, all the more so when they learned that my driver, Mr. Slaven Davidović, who distributes the flowers, is a disabled person as well as Mr. Predrag Mihaljčić, an administrative assistant, who is a single leg amputee. to read more about IRIS please press...
|
|
