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Eastern Europe

   

Community Transport Program

 

 

 

 

In Serbia, through the Community Transport Program, thousands of Refugees, handicapped and institutionalized children have been given excellent opportunities for health and happiness with a connection to the resources necessary for reaching their full potential

 

This past year, a COCI van adapted for wheel chair use, transported over 1,000 children to 39 different agencies, servicing an average of 30 children a day; even more are served if parents, guardians and professionals are included. COCI's efforts in Eastern Europe are examples of successful, sustainable, and more importantly replicable programs that transform challenged an hopeless children into inspired and productive citizens who are living and learning in a world of acceptance and opportunities.

 

COCI is empowering these children and their caregivers, giving them hope where there was none. At the same time, the likelihood that these children could become involved in criminal activity, drugs, and human trafficking, (all very real possibilities in this environment), is drastically diminished.

In Serbia we provide the following:


1. Transportation Services to thousands yearly to access Health Care, Education, Recreation, Outreach
2. Medication and Job Training to HIV positive children
3. Shelter for Kids living on the streets
4. Integration for Special Needs and Handicapped Children into mainstream society
5. Resources provided to prevent abandonment and/or systematic institutionalization of mentally ill children
6. Professional Vocational Training provided to the mentally challenged
7. Public Awareness Initiatives regarding treatment of special needs children


The Director of our Program is the father of a 22 year old autistic son and has brought an understanding to the lack of social assistance or awareness of special needs children that is endemic in the post-communist societies. His relationship with hundreds of families in similar situations has allowed him to convince families not to abandon their children, and to offer them the assistance and training they need to keep their families in tact. Our partnership with nearly 100 institutions, the country's Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and the United States Embassy have helped Cherish Our Children reach deep into the fabric of society where handicapped Serbian children are being integrated into mainstream society. After nine years of work, we are now seeing many children who were beneficiaries of COCI's mission, wishing to help others who are in the same situation that they once were.


Community Transport is solely funded by COCI, but the need for these services is significantly greater than what COCI is able to provide with one van, leaving children still in need of immediate medical attention. In fact, the success of this program and the ongoing needs are so great that COCI intends to expand this program when funding permits to bring in a second van and qualified driver.


Cherish Our Children International has been working in Serbia since 1999 when war, a tyrannical dictator and ethnic strife tore the country apart. Our work there started with the development of a Children's Resource Center which provided on-site and outreach services to thousands of children in the community that were impacted by the armed conflict. Many of these children had been forced from their homes and communities, and they were often separated from their families. Working in partnership with HRH, Princess Elizabeth of Serbia, COCI raised funds to provide inter-disciplinary services to these children and their families, and to provide urgent humanitarian aid to facilities housing children. Since then COCI has provided assistance to SOS Children's Village in Novi Sad, and tutoring for children living in state run orphanages in Belgrade. These orphanages are now being closed and the children in state care are moving to a more nurturing foster care system. COCI is now devoting its resources in Serbia to the severely disadvantaged and disabled children who are not able to access basic medical, educational and social services.