Help People with Intellectual Disabilities -Serbia

Over the past decades KEC has been at the forefront of efforts to find employment for people with special needs in Belgrade. Its efforts resulted in the creation of a special work module known as work engagement and sparked the push for regular and assisted employment for our beneficiaries. KEC’s entry into the labor market started with McDonald’s and has grown to include over 30 companies, institutions and organizations across Belgrade and almost 200 beneficiaries. Based on the company’s needs KEC matches its beneficiaries with work placement positions. KEC provides all the necessary forms of support, training and evaluation. Its experience in creating and implementing this program made it possible for KEC to become the licensed trainer for such programs in Serbia. Today, KEC helps other organizations implement similar programs in their communities

Through this work KEC has made a lot of fruitful relationships with many companies and cultural institutions. One of the most successful partnerships has been with the National Employment Board (NEB), a government agency overseeing the labor market and employment opportunities. Understanding the importance of employment for people with disabilities, NEB has created special programs for this target group throughout the country.

During much of the Corona period KEC was able to keep some of its beneficiaries working through this collaboration with the NEB. This innovative approach to work allowed 8 people with moderate degrees of disabilities to use their skills and energy to keep the KEC facility clean, assembled and delivered aid packages for KEC families and other necessary tasks. When the KEC center is fully functioning it is inspiring to see one KEC beneficiary at work helping another KEC beneficiary. For now, while COVID lingers, they were at work one at a time in the center.

This collaboration with the NEB is a great stride in KEC’s effort to find a job for every person with a disability. NEB’s recognition that these individuals are part of the potential workforce and creating stimulus programs to entice companies to find positions on their teams is a huge success. It is also a big win, in a society like this, when a government agency is eager to recognize and collaborate with the NGO sector.

Despite the pandemic KEC is moving forward to create positive experiences for people with disabilities.

On March 11^th the World Health Organization officially characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. With this announcement the world came to terms with the fact that the virus had reached all corners of the earth. On March 15^th a state of emergency was declared in Serbia and KEC was forced to close its doors. It was hard to tell those we serve, those people who depend on our services, that for their own safety and the safety of those around them they needed to stay at home.

During this global pandemic people have been forced to confront big changes in their daily lives, adapt to the new realities and social losses. Many of our beneficiaries feel this even more acutely. They are scared, confused, bored and lonely. They need to be engaged and supported while forced to practice social distancing.

Recognizing this KEC redirected its efforts to electronic check-ins with our beneficiaries and their families. Our great team quickly developed new methods for connecting with our clients and soon after started implementation. The team’s highest priority in each contact was to maintain empathy despite the distance. During daily online calls, chats or small remote group sessions the counselor, special education teacher, speech therapist, psychologist affirmed to each of our beneficiaries that their fears, anger and distress were valid emotions and helped them cope with them.

In addition to these electronic sessions KEC also helped families with their existential needs. The majority of our families are single parents and many of them barely survive financially in normal times. Like for so many people, the COVID virus has only made survival even more difficult. We managed to collect and distribute 121 food packages for our families.

KEC staff and families are eager for the programs to begin again “in real life” but we are still closed for now. Considering the special needs of our community we are cautious about reopening. We will consult with the authorities about how and when to do this. Until then we will all have to accept the socially distanced version of KEC.

 Your help and support enables us to keep providing this support to our beneficiaries and their families. The KEC team hopes that you and your families are safe and healthy.