Project Stamnica

Data: 1 August 2021 - 8 August 2021
This project is subject to change depending on an improved COVID-19 situation.

The Stamnica project offers help to a home for people with a mental or physical disability. The home "Nikola Sumenkovic" can be found in Stamnica, a small mountain village in the northeast of Serbia. About four hundred people of different ages reside in this home.

During the two weeks of the project we will deal with, among other things, children and the elderly who live in separate houses. About twenty-five people live in each house, divided by livingtime and level. All children from the same house are under the supervision of one nurse who, in addition to the care, also carries out cleaning and other additional activities. Due to a lack of staff, the sisters only deal with the utmost care. As a result, the children spend most of the day on the placed benches and have little stimulus for development. For both the children and the bedridden residents, getting attention is not a matter of course.

During the project we entertain children with simple songs, games and bubble blowing. We also take them outside to enjoy the playground together. In addition to playing, we help in the morning and afternoon to feed the children who cannot do this themselves. We do sensory therapy with the bedridden residents, stimulating the senses in a certain way. This can also be done by blowing bubbles, singing songs and petting them with cuddly toys. Here too we help feed the residents. 

Due to the lack of financial resources, there is a great shortage of materials. For example, there are many residents with a disability who need a wheelchair, but do not always have it at their disposal due to the shortage of wheelchairs. The wheelchairs that are available are often broken, just like clothing, shoes and toys. To help with this, we bring a large amount of toys from the Netherlands every year.

Project 2021
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the residents of the home have been unable to receive external visits for a long time. As a result, many of the residents are lonely. That is why the focus will be on reducing this loneliness.

Currently, a large portion of the Serbian population is vaccinated for COVID-19. As a Dutch student you can register for this project via the registration form. Should the situation in Serbia change so that it is not responsible for sending volunteers that way, we will reconsider the implementation of the project this year. Voor deelname aan dit project als vrijwilliger vragen we een eigen bijdrage van €190,- (voor reis en verblijf). Aan de studenten die komende zomer al in Servië zijn en vanuit daar direct vrijwilligerswerk gaan doen, wordt deze eigen bijdrage niet gevraagd (de reiskosten zijn dan voor eigen rekening).  

Lodging and leisure
The group of about six volunteers will spend the entire stay in an apartment in the nearby village of Petrovac am Mlavi. We have breakfast in the home, where the bread and toppings are ready every day. We have a warm meal around half past one and go back to the apartment around three o'clock. Here we play games, go swimming or go to the supermarket to get fruit. In the afternoon and evening the planning for the next day is discussed, eaten and rested. 

Example daily schedule
7.00 Wake up
8.00 departure with van: it will take you to the home in 20 minutes
8.20 arrival home, breakfast project group, discuss division of tasks
9.00 activities (e.g. playing games, crafts)
13.00 hot lunch
14.00 small activities (e.g. blowing bubbles, playing football, dancing)
15.00 departure van, back to the apartment
15.20 free: preparation next day, shopping, rest

Aanmelden
Klik here voor het aanmeldingsformulier.

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