Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

Ruma Day Centre for people with intellectual and mental disabilities is visited daily by 15 users, ages 26 to 40, this time they spend together from 1 to 6 pm is a rare opportunity for some of them to leave their home.

At first, Marko came with his mother, Katica. Then, she said, they both gathered the courage and decided that Marko should go to Ruma alone since it is around twenty kilometres away from their village Platičevo. Marko, the same as other members of the Day centre for the people with intellectual and mental disabilities, sometimes needs to be more cautious, so his mother informed all bus drivers and bus and train conductors on the local lines that Marko will be travelling with them regularly, while the caregivers at the Day centre were already prepared to escort him to the station. A month later, quiet Marko is coming to the Day centre every day all by himself and without any problems.

As part of the “Improvement of social inclusion of people with intellectual and mental disabilities” project implemented within the IPA “Support for the inclusive society” programme and funded by the European Union, the Day centre started working at the end of March 2016, and it represents a new service in Ruma. Local partners are Centre for social work and Ruma Municipality, and the plan is to implement the project until September 2017, at which time the Municipality should include it in its regular budget activities.

Besides the benefits for people with intellectual and mental disabilities and their parents who see how their “eternal children” improve on a weekly basis, the Day center also provided the opportunity for first employment for five young people (…). Apart from the five of them, another ten or so people are involved in planning and realisation of these gatherings in the Day center. The members themselves like it the most when they have activities outside the Centre.

Mondays are for food preparation, Tuesdays are “Rhythm of the Day”, on Wednesdays they usually go to the garden or visit the farm of the Agricultural school, Thursdays are for art and other creative workshops. Fridays are reserved for being involved in the local community by going to museums, the pool during the summer, cake shops, bowling…

At the end of the day together they tidy up their nook in the Multicolour room and the kitchen so that the children with intellectual and mental disabilities can also enjoy their morning gatherings. Marija Cica Čučković, the project coordinator and manager and the employee of the Ruma Centre for Social Work told us that everything was very quickly brought to high level of quality since it was very carefully prepared in advance (…)

Mrs Marija, a very devoted mother from village Nikinci, about 25 km from Ruma, drives her daughter Daniela to the Day centre every day.

“It is not hard for me. While she is there, I sit in the car if the weather is bad, or walk around Ruma if it’s nice out. The most important thing for me is that she feels good.”

While smiling, she is telling us that she is slowly losing her overly protective attitude toward her child.

“At home, I tie her shoelaces. But since she has started going to the Day centre, the people working there told me that there was no need, because she was capable of doing it herself.”