Project Background: HandiKos was established in 1983 to provide care and act as a pressure group to the government on disability and accessibility issues. Everything HandiKos does is free to users and it has a multi-ethnic basis. There are 13 centres throughout Kosovo and the budget is €150,000 annually. Finnish government provides lots of funding but is cutting it back next year. HandiKos have been gifted impractical goods, cars without easy access, and without funding for fuel, drivers, tax, insurance etc. Similarly they need money for heating as their donated building is vast. Although this makes it perfect as an exhibition space. HandiKos collect and deliver children to the centres for physiotherapy and psychotherapy.

Accommodation: There are plenty of hostels that people can stay in for approx €10 per night, such as Guest House Velania (based on 3 people sharing) in Pristina. Velania is the affluent housing district of Pristina and is very safe with plenty of international police and embassies in very close proximity. It may also be possible to find accommodation in Hajvalia although there needs to be more research on this issue.

Travel: There is a bus that goes to the bottom of the road of the Hajvalia HQ which costs €0.40 each way. Once at the bottom of the road there is a ten minute walk to the HQ. A taxi for up to four would cost less than €3 from the centre of Pristina.

Funding: Afrim has a budget of €150,000 per year for all 13 centres so there is a serious lack of funding for the centres. During the winter in the Pristina there is not really enough money to keep the heating high enough for the children to come and be exercised and in summer there is not enough money to operate the installed (donated) air conditioning. Any donations would be accepted. There is the possibility of fund raising, for example printing t-shirts in Kosovo and selling them in Oxford would be possible.

Skill base of the volunteer required: The volunteers would need to have experience in teaching and high levels of exposure to disabled children. It would be beneficial if they had any qualifications in physiotherapy or child-care.

Activities in the projects (possible daily routine): Helping disabled children in HandiKos centres. This would involve teaching the children exercises and life skills such as how to get dressed, wash and eat.

Similarly, every year there are camps that take place for ten days by the coast and the volunteers would be able to help with all aspects of the trip, helping teach, playing with the children, and providing individual care and attention.

General Volunteers

• Volunteers are helpful all over Kosovo
• Children come for 45 mins for each session and longer on Thursday, volunteers could help with the physiotherapy and playing with the children (This is the same in all centres)
• At the end of August there are beach summer camps focusing on practical self-help skills, such as washing, eating, dressing, wheelchair balance techniques, playing sports (basket ball, table tennis)
• Art and cultural exhibitions could be hosted in the Hajvalia centre

Skilled labour – This is key for sustained development

• Training is crucial, looking for work groups over an extended period. Modest running costs need to be provided for all training workshops
• Occupational therapy for young people 1-18yrs
• Physiotherapy
• Adults social interaction with the children and rehabilitation techniques, especially for those with spinal cord injuries

Development and future opportunities: Depending on the students that volunteer to OXAB there are different projects that can be done. There are enough projects to accommodate a multitude of different skill bases. There is also the possibility of using the HQ as an exhibition space as this brings welcome exposure to the centre.

Possible security and safety concerns: There are limited security concerns working just outside Pristina. However, there is the possibility of high levels of distress brought on by working with very disabled children. This is a concern because some of the children will have varying degrees of scarring brought about by bed-sores or surgical operations.

Last updated: April 26th, 2009