Header Flag Image

Blue Flower Center | Centar Plavi cvijet

  • The Blue Flower Center Exterior Wall | Vanjski zid Centra Plavi cvijet
  • Extreme Close-up on Woman’s Face | Lice žene izbliza
  • Group Seen in Mirror | Odraz grupe u ogledalu
  • Portrait Medin Mrso | Fotografija Medina Mrse
  • Medin Mrso in a Wheelchair | Medin Mrso u invalidskim kolicima
  • Blue Flower Building | Zgrada Centra Plavi cvijet

  • Blue Flower Center, Goražde
  • A building renovation makes a big difference for a Center that provides a place for disabled kids to play together.
  • Centar Plavi cvijet, Goražde
  • Renoviranje zgrade je vrlo značajno za Centar koji predstavlja mjesto gdje se djeca sa posebnim potrebama mogu zajedno igrati.

The Blue Flower Center in Goražde allows kids with special needs, from around the town and beyond, to come and play together in a safe environment. Now the Center was in desperate need. A third fire had almost turned the struggling non-profit organization’s building to ashes.

Over the last two decades, the building housing the Blue Flower Center had burned three times. The toll left by those fires still scarred the building. Broken windows, burnt doors, and a leaky roof were especially problematic during the cold Bosnian winters. Emira Hodzic, the program director, feared that the hands of young kids with disabilities would actually freeze in some places within the cold building, which further reduced the freedom of the kids to play there.

“The building was in such terrible condition,” Hodzic said. “The worst was when it rained. It would leak and leave everything wet.”

Suddenly, Spring came for the Blue Flower. The Sanela Diana Jenkins Foundation for Bosnia and Herzegovina provided funds for the building’s renovation.

“We are so thankful. In the old building, we couldn’t do anything,” Hodzic said.

No one else had ever donated money to the organization, and the effect was transformative. For example, water and electricity are now available. There’s a new kitchen, where they have been able to organize meals for the children. Since the renovation, the building has been used for workshops and other activities where kids with special needs come together and play on the new wooden floors. When workshops happen, the children have a warm and clean place to gather.

“We are still struggling with having activities available every day due to the lack of funding,” Hodzic said. “But it’s important for us to have these workshops for our kids, as they all deal with mild to severe mental illnesses and this is their new house and playground.”

One of those who relies on the Center is Medin Mrso. He was born with a disability where his legs were never fully formed, making it impossible for him to stand and walk. But he’s very knowledgeable about computers and spends his time surfing the Internet. And he loves going to the Blue Flower Center.

“If I was able to walk, I’d help everybody who needs help,” Medin says. “That’s why going to Blue Flower has helped me because I can be here helping with others.”

The Center has deeply invested volunteers. Alija has worked for 13 years as a tutor at the Center. Dealing with mental illness himself, Alija has a particular empathy for the kids who come there. He lives with his wife and three children in Osanica, 17 miles from work. Only one of his own kids is fully healthy.

Like many families who returned to their houses after the Bosnian Conflict, Alija also battles with difficulties in his own home, such as a lack of water.

“But regardless, we have to be here for our children, all the time,” Alija said.

Previously, there were no funds available to hire people to work at the Center. But with the Foundation’s gift, it was possible to hire two people. Director Hodzic fought so that Alija could be given one of those jobs. Now, Alija can work at the Center with the children he cares for so deeply, and he has an income to help his own struggling family.

The Blue Flower Center supports a community of disabled children that extends far beyond Goražde into the mountains beyond the town. With their renovated building, the Center hopes that they can serve the needs of these kids with play, socializing, and education. The Center is a place where these kids can be special for more than their disabilities.

Article and photos by photojournalist Dijana Muminović

Centar Plavi cvijet u Goraždu je mjesto gdje djeca sa posebnim potrebama iz cijelog grada, a i šire, mogu doći i igrati se zajedno u sigurnom okruženju. Centar se u ovom trenutku bori za opstanak. Treći požar gotovo da je pretvorio zgradu ove neprofitne organizacije u pepeo.

U prethodnih dvadeset godina zgradu u kojoj je smješten Centar Plavi cvijet tri puta je zahvatio požar, a posljedice su još uvijek vidljive. Slomljeni prozori, izgorjela vrata i krov koji prokišnjava predstavljaju poseban problem u vrijeme hladnih bosanskih zima. Emira Hodžić, rukovodilac programa, strahuje da će se ručice djece koja borave u Centru zaista smrznuti u ovoj hladnoj zgradi, a time se ograničavaju mogućnosti njihovog boravka i igre na ovom mjestu.

“Zgrada je bila u katastrofalnom stanju,” kaže Hodžić. “Najgore je bilo kada je padala kiša. Posvuda bi prokišnjavalo i sve bi ubrzo postalo mokro.”

Iznenada, za Plavi cvijet došlo je proljeće. Fondacija Sanela Diana Jenkins za Bosnu i Hercegovinu osigurala je sredstva za obnovu zgrade.

“Neizmjerno smo zahvalni. U staroj zgradi ništa nismo mogli da radimo,” rekla je Hodžić.

Niko još nikada nije donirao novac našoj organizaciji, a učinak ove donacije promijenio nam je život. Na primjer, sada imamo struju i vodu. Imamo novu kuhinju, gdje možemo pripremati obroke za djecu. Nakon što je zgrada obnovljena, u njoj se sada održavaju radionice i druge aktivnosti u okviru kojih djeca sa posebnim potrebama mogu doći i igrati se zajedno, i to na novom drvenom podu. Djeca sada imaju topao i čist prostor gdje se druže za vrijeme radionica.

“Još uvijek se borimo kako bismo omogućili da svaki dan imamo neku aktivnost, jer nemamo dovoljno sredstava,” kaže Hodžić. “Ali za nas je važno da imamo ove radionice za djecu koja imaju lakše ili teže oblike psihičkih smetnji, jer ovo je njihov novi dom i mjesto za igru.”

Jedan od onih za koga je ovaj centar izuzetno važan je Medin Mrso. Još od rođenja ima poteškoće jer se njegova noga nikada nije u potpunosti formirala, zbog čega ne može da stoji na niti da hoda. Pa ipak, Medin posjeduje široka znanja u oblasti računara i vrijeme provodi na Internetu. Također voli da posjećuje Centar Plavi cvijet.

“Kada bih mogao da hodam, pomogao bih svakome kome je pomoć potrebna,” kaže Medin. “Volim da idem u Plavi cvijet jer tako mogu da pomažem, zajedno sa drugima.”

U Centru su angažovani vrlo predani volonteri. Alija ovdje radi već 13 godina kao predavač. I sam suočen sa psihičkim smetnjama, Alija posebno suosjeća sa djecom koja ovdje dolaze. On živi sa svojom suprugom i troje djece u Osanici, mjestu udaljenom oko 2 km od njegovog posla. Samo jedno od njegove djece je u potpunosti zdravo.

Poput velikog broja porodica koje su se vratile u svoje domove nakon završetka rata u Bosni, i Alija ima mnoštvo problema. On na primjer nema vode.

“Pa ipak, bez obzira na sve, moramo biti tu svo vrijeme, zbog naše djece,” kaže Alija.

Ranije nismo imali sredstava da zaposlimo ljude koji bi radili u Centru. Ali zahvaljujući donaciji koju nam je dodijelila Fondacija, zaposlili smo dvije osobe. Direktorica Hodžić se zalagala za to da Alija bude jedan od dvoje ljudi koji će dobiti posao. Sada Alija može raditi sa djecom koju toliko voli, a od plate koju zaradi pomaže svojoj porodici.

Centar Plavi cvijet pomaže djeci sa poteškoćama ne samo iz Goražda, već i onima koji dolaze sa okolnih planina. Sada kada je zgrada renovirana, u Centru se nadaju da će moći odgovoriti na potrebe koje ova djeca imaju za igrom, socijalizacijom i obrazovanjem. Centar je mjesto gdje su ova djeca posebna, ali ne samo zbog poteškoća koje imaju.

Autor članaka i fotografija: Dijana Muminović


Other Projects

Mother and Daughter with Baby | Majka i ćerka sa bebom

Insulin Pumps

Insulin pumps enable a new mother to raise her infant and control her diabetes.

Girl with Lion Toy on Wall | Djevojčica stavlja svog lava-igračku na zid

Daycare

Sometimes the little things make all the difference.

Worried Onlooker Watches Surgery | Zabrinuti posmatrač gleda operaciju

Laparoscope

A complete laparoscopic surgical suite of equipment greatly expanded the surgical capabilities of the hospital.

Hospital Room with Winnie the Pooh | Bolnička soba sa likom Winnie the Pooh

Portable Heart Monitors

Portable heart monitors allow doctors to collect data on heart patients undergoing normal activites.