After signing contracts with representatives of eleven organizations, institutions and companies, on December 18th and 19th in Sarajevo and Mostar, eleven persons with disabilities will begin with their internship programme. Cooperation between employers and persons with disabilities is realized within P.O.W.E.R. project, funded by the European Union and implemented by Caritas of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Internship programme comprises short-term opportunity for persons with disabilities to develop their professional skills, gain work experience and understand work tasks. Interns are persons with disabilities up to 35 years of age and with at least 50% of disability. They have no previous work experience and are registered in employment bureaus as unemployed persons.
The interns will complete their one-year internship programmes in the company ALFA THERM, the institution “Dječji vrtići” Mostar, the Home for elderly and hospice “Betanija” from Čapljina, Logovita, the company DI & DŽ from Mostar, the University of Sarajevo, the Media Center of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, the Association of amputees of Istočno Sarajevo, the organization Youth for Peace, association ProReha and the public kitchen of Caritas Vrhbosna Archdiocese.
During the signing ceremony held in Sarajevo, Zlatko Malić, Caritas BiH, emphasized the importance of joint work on providing concrete assistance to persons with disabilities. He also reminded the employers to undertake serious approach towards mentorship programme, which represents connection between the organization, the interns and P.O.W.E.R. project. Representatives of employers expressed their willingness to employ persons with disabilities as interns who will perform various tasks during their internship programme. Internship programme is one of the first steps in fulfilling the right to work for persons with disabilities that will help them in resolving their employment status.
Project P.O.W.E.R. is funded by the European Union through the IPA II Cross-Border Cooperation Program Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro and will last for 2 years. The total value of the project is 459,776 EUR, of which the European Union finances 390,800 EUR. The project is implemented by Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with partners from BiH and Montenegro: Archdiocesan Pastoral Youth Center “Ivan Pavao II”, Association of parents of children with special needs Vedri Osmijeh, Fund for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Caritas of Bar Archidiocese, Association of Paraplegic Bar and Business Start-up Center from Bar.
