/ Training for Professional Social Workers Dealing with Romanies
While their men were being massacred in 1995, more than 30'000 women and their children were deported from Srebrenica to Tuzla, once an industrialized town in the north-eastern parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Many have stayed on. Together with the native inhabitants they are facing the results of the war: serious economic problems, high unemployment rates, disintegrating social and health care systems, as well as the emotional wounds that have not yet healed.
Raising Self-Competence
Due to the desolate situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, workers in the psycho-social institutions of Tuzla usually spend their days dealing with basic existential problems. It is hard for them to find either the time or the energy to attend to their priority target group, the really high-risk families. In addition to this, care workers are severely over-burdened, showing symptoms related to stress and exhaustion. In response to this situation Amica Educa offers training and seminars for people working in the psycho-social and educational fields. In cooperation with special needs training institutions, Amica Educa offers training programmes in creative non-verbal techniques such as expressive art, family constellation therapy and non-violent communication methods. Participants are encouraged to develop skills and assurance in dealing with their own problems as well as in working with traumatised people seeking help.
Empowering Romany Women
Romanies are an officially recognized minority In Bosnia-Herzegovina. They usually keep to themselves, living on the margins of the urban centres. Often, they are victims of discrimination, for example when looking for work. Most Romany women have a low level of education; they have no knowledge of their (women's) rights and hardly any opportunity to actively influence the circumstances shaping their daily lives. In Kiseljak, in the region of Tuzla, there are special programmes for Romany women designed to strengthen their self-competence. In group discussions the women are encouraged to take a more active role in society; they develop a greater understanding of their life situations and family relationships, and learn to deal with conflicts in a non-violent manner.
Playful Learning
Romany children enjoy the workshops held at Amica Educa, they have fun while learning and is the centre of attention. A play-oriented, creative approach strengthens their social and communicative skills, introducing them to tolerant and non-violent methods of dealing with conflictual situations. Beyond this, they learn about Human and Children's Rights, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and the risks of drug abuse.
