REHABILITATION CENTRE FOR CHILDREN WITH PHYSICAL AND/OR COGNITIVE DISABILITIES “MARIJA NAŠA NADA”

Project co-financed through the Italian 5x1000 tax scheme, own funds and donations.
Local partner: Rehabilitation Centre for Children with Disabilities “Marija Naša Nada” (“Our Lady Our Hope”);

Since 2004, Fondazione Don Gnocchi has been active in Bosnia and Herzegovina in promoting high-quality rehabilitation services for children and adolescents, contributing to the establishment and development of the Centre “Marija Naša Nada” in Široki Brijeg.
Over more than twenty years of collaboration, the Foundation’s intervention has evolved from infrastructural support to strategic accompaniment and institutional capacity building, with the aim of strengthening the Centre’s managerial, clinical and project autonomy, positioning it as a key reference point within the regional rehabilitation landscape.
Today, the Foundation is a co-opted member of the Centre’s Board of Directors and continues to provide technical-scientific support, specialist training, organizational supervision and the development of national and international networks, with particular attention to autism spectrum disorders and the integrated care of children and their families.

Context

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a highly fragmented healthcare system, structured across multiple administrative levels (State, Entities and Cantons), with distributed competences that make the harmonization of health and social policies particularly complex.

In the field of disability, several structural challenges persist:

• uneven access to rehabilitation services between urban and peripheral areas;
• shortage of specialized professionals, particularly in the field of autism spectrum disorders;
• limited integration between healthcare, social services and the education system;
• insufficient structured psychological support for families.

In recent years, the increase in diagnoses of neurodevelopmental disorders, aligned with European trends, has made it even more urgent to strengthen interdisciplinary competencies, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools, and person-centred care models.
At the same time, the country is undergoing economic and social transformation, marked by significant youth emigration and the need to consolidate institutions and territorial services. In this context, rehabilitation centres represent not only healthcare providers, but also key actors of social cohesion.

Need

In the current context of Bosnia and Herzegovina, significant disparities remain in access to rehabilitation and specialist services for children with disabilities, particularly in the field of autism spectrum disorders. There is a clear need to strengthen interdisciplinary competencies, update diagnostic and rehabilitation tools, and establish structured and continuous psychological support for families.
At the same time, the transition to adulthood has emerged as an increasingly urgent issue: many young people with disabilities, after completing their rehabilitation pathway, face significant barriers in accessing employment and in achieving full recognition of their social and economic rights. It is therefore essential to promote sustainable models of socio-professional inclusion that foster autonomy, active participation and professional dignity.

Areas of intervention

The intervention of Fondazione Don Gnocchi in Bosnia and Herzegovina is developed through an integrated accompaniment of the Centre “Marija Naša Nada”, with the aim of strengthening its role as a rehabilitation competence hub and as a driver of local social development.

The main lines of action include:

• clinical and specialist strengthening through periodic missions, multidisciplinary supervision and continuous training on autism, early diagnosis, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and holistic child-centred care;
• organizational development and governance support, including strategic planning, consolidation of administrative and project management skills, fundraising capacity and institutional positioning within the local socio-health system;
• family support and territorial integration, promoting structured collaboration between healthcare services, the education system and the local community, and establishing continuous psychological support pathways;
• socio-professional inclusion and sustainability, through support to the development of the social enterprise Capella s.r.l., aimed at providing employment opportunities for young adults with disabilities and promoting a model that integrates rehabilitation, economic autonomy and full recognition of rights.

Beneficiaries

Direct beneficiaries of the project are the Centre “Marija Naša Nada” in Široki Brijeg, its socio-health and administrative staff, the children and young people with disabilities receiving services at the Centre, as well as the young adults involved in employment pathways promoted also through the social enterprise Capella s.r.l..
Indirect beneficiaries include families, the local community and public institutions, all engaged in a broader process of strengthening competencies, fostering a culture of inclusion and enhancing social sustainability.

Completed projects and activities in 2023

Activity: Capacity Building and Clinical Missions on Autism

In 2025, two missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina were carried out by professionals of Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ETS, focusing on:

• multidisciplinary assessment of children with autism spectrum disorder;
• training on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC);
• psychological work with families;
• clinical supervision of the Centre’s professionals.

These missions strengthened the interdisciplinary approach and improved the overall quality of care.

International Study Visit

In 2025, a delegation of professionals from the Centre “Marija Naša Nada” conducted a study visit to the “Santa Maria Nascente” Centre in Milan, the flagship facility of Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ETS.

The visit enabled:

• direct observation of organizational and clinical models; • in-depth exchange on rehabilitation practices in autism; • comparison of assessment tools and integrated care models; • strengthening of bilateral technical cooperation.

Balkan International Autism Conference – Intervention by Dr. Annunziata Silvia

In 2025, the Centre promoted a conference dedicated to autism spectrum disorders, with Dr. Annunziata Silvia, developmental neuropsychiatrist of Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ETS, as guest speaker; the her lecture “Early Signs of Autism and Preventive Interventions: A Focus on the First Year of Life”, represented an important opportunity for scientific update and territorial awareness-raising.
Collaboration: University of Mostar; Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Welfare of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton; Rehabilitation Centre “Marija Naša Nada”; World Autism Organisation.

Project: “Regional Sports Games – OAZA Sarajevo 2025”

In 2025, collaboration continued with the Association “OAZA” of Sarajevo through the organization of the Regional Sports Games, promoting social inclusion and psycho-physical well-being of children and young people with disabilities.
Sport was enhanced as a rehabilitation tool and a means of personal empowerment.
This project was funded by Fondazione Don Gnocchi, MyRight Sweden, Special Olympics Bosnia and Herzegovina, local partners and local companies.
The project aimed to improve the physical and mental well-being of people with disabilities through sport and rehabilitation. The Sports Games, organized in Sarajevo in collaboration with MyRight and Special Olympics Bosnia and Herzegovina, involved more than 300 athletes.
Collaboration: Centre “Marija Naša Nada”; Association for the Support of People with Intellectual Disabilities of Sarajevo Canton “OAZA”; MyRight Sweden; Special Olympics BiH; City of Sarajevo.

Participation in the International Sports Games – Malmö 2025

A delegation of athletes with disabilities from the Centre “Marija Naša Nada” participated in the International Sports Games Malmö 2025, consolidating the pathway initiated in previous years and strengthening the European dimension of the project.

The experience fostered:

• intercultural exchange;
• increased self-esteem among athletes; • international visibility of inclusive good practices developed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.