A life of dignity and free movement for PWDs

Everyday lives of people suffering from muscular dystrophy in Belgrade were made easier today when, as part of EU SHAI, the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Belgrade received a PWD-friendly vehicle for transporting children and adults to therapy sessions and other activities.

The EU’s Programme Support for Social Housing and Inclusion (EU SHAI) aims to improve social inclusion policy implementation in Serbia and secure durable housing solutions while also implementing measures of active inclusion for the most vulnerable groups of people, with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) as the implementing partne.

The Association’s president, Dušan Trojanović, accepted the vehicle from European Union Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić.

“Acts like this serve to improve inclusion of men and women, girls and boys who are poor and socially excluded and to allow them to live in dignity and take active participation in the society. We also want to encourage the whole society to embrace persons with disabilities and show more empathy and solidarity,” Giaufret said.

The Ambassador also said that the EU was the biggest donor in Serbia in the area of social inclusion.

“In the past five years, the EU has either donated or invested over 115 million euros to improve the living standard of the most vulnerable,” the EU Ambassador noted.

On behalf of the Association, Trojanović expressed his appreciation for the vehicle, noting that the vehicle will allow the Association’s members to move freely.

“We strive to accomplish small feats that make other people’s day and help them lead a better life,” the Association president said.

Trojanović thanked the EU Ambassador to Serbia and EU citizens who paid for the donated vehicle.

“This vehicle brings the freedom of movement for every member of our Association, and I welcome your commitment to improving the lives of Serbian citizens,” Trojanović pointed out.

The status of PWDs is critical to Serbia, and social inclusion should be high on every country’s priority list, said Prime Minister Ana Brnabić.

“This vehicle may be a small gesture, but it’s a reminder that we need to work on this and care about persons with disabilities as an integral part of our society. If we don’t secure conditions for them to live an independent life in dignity, it will mean we are unfair to them and lose their potential,” the Prime Minister said.

The specialised vehicle for PWDs further adapted for people with muscular dystrophy, has a capacity of six people, with three seats intended for people in wheelchairs and a hydraulic lift.

The European Union (EU) has allocated 27 million euros through the 2018 Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) to implement EU SHAI.

National institutions, local self-governments, and providers of social inclusion services from both the public and civil sectors are among the Programme’s beneficiaries. The Programme, deriving from national and international frameworks, contributes to meeting the EU accession criteria within Chapter 19, dedicated to social inclusion, and Chapter 23, dealing with fundamental rights and achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals