|
Construction of the main project
|
Pilot project in Srebrenica November - December 2008
On November 26th 2007 Adela Dilber (massage therapist from Zenica) and Emma Stacey (Cranio-sacral therapist from UK) began a three-week pilot project in Srebrenica. They worked in partnership with the Kuća povjerenja in the centre of town where they lived and worked free of charge to provide therapeutic care for members of the community who had suffered during the war.
The Kuća povjerenja provided us with two-bedroom accommodation and two therapy rooms and also prepared a list of 36 appropriate clients from the locality to be treated by the two therapists once a week for three weeks. The environment was warm clean and central which enabled all clients to attend easily. When necessary, Melika Malešević, the manager of KP paid for taxis to bring clients from outside the town to attend the therapy sessions.
Client base
Women suffering from war trauma were chosen by the management of various NGOs in the district: Mother’s of Srebrenica, Women for Women and Amica. The majority of the women were Muslim - 30, 5 were Orthodox and 1 Catholic. Many of them have to travel to Tuzla to receive any medical care. In many cases this is either too expensive or unsatisfactory, so many remainded untreated up to the time of our arrival. Alternatively they self-medicated.
The Therapeutic Programme
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays Adela and Emma took brief medical/psychological histories of 6 clients per day and then treated them with their appropriate skills for 1 hour each. They returned for two more sessions and in some cases were able to receive the alternative treatment to complement the one/s they had already received.
Quality of care was seen as a priority, so the waiting area was prepared with a candle burning, aromatic oils, and chairs grouped together and gentle music playing. Herbal teas and fresh fruit were on offer. The atmosphere was relaxed, kindly and slow-paced with an emphasis laid on the dignity and well-being of the clients present.
Conditions Treated
The majority of the clients that were seen presented with a range of physical symptoms (back pain, sleeplessness, poor digestion, heart conditions, high blood pressure, bad circulation). These were matched by associated emotional/psychological problems in almost all cases (stress, grief, mood swings, depression, and loneliness).
Community Days
On Fridays each woman was invited to attend Community Day from 10 00am- 14 00pm where they were welcomed warmly and offered tea, biscuits and friendship. The aim of this was to bring disparate groups of women together, forge friendships and invite positive interaction in a safe environment. Everyone was encouraged to participate in group discussions on healthy eating/activities, led by Adela Dilber who also provided written material to the members when appropriate. Emma Stacey followed this with 40 minute yoga teaching, relaxation and breathing techniques. A healthy lunch was prepared by Adela and Emma. They were discouraged by Melika Malešević to invite participants to bring and share food because of their very low incomes. Singing was also discouraged due to the level of grief the women were suffering.
Outcomes
All the women reported positive results and all felt that they needed more support of the same quality. 3 weeks was considered not enough. In most cases this was the only treatment they had received since the end of the war in spite of the fact that that the majority belonged to one or other of the above mentioned NGOs.
Clients were extremely grateful and open to the treatments offered. Reports ranged from greatly improved sleep and consequent dreaming, less bone pain, lowering of blood pressure and levels of stress reduced. They felt we had created an “oasis of healing”. When asked what they were especially pleased with, they answered:
“First of all with the therapies, but what touched me the most was the relations and closeness between Emma and Adela and the patients. I have never experience anything like that before”. When asked if they would recommend the Programme to other women, the answer was “Yes, the Programme had a great meaning for Srebrenica especially that our Health Care Centre (Zdravstvo, banja) doesn’t function as it should. Hurry up with this Programme before this population of inhabitants of Srebrenica dies out. We are eagerly expecting this Clinic”.
The community days were well attended and although they began passively and the women appeared lost in their own grief they developed into the beginning of community engagement and trust building. When assessing value of the Community Days, one woman wrote: “They came to me, as we say, as “mehlem na rani”. During these gatherings I could relax and forget some of my hurt-empty soul”.
Networking
A number of meetings were held during the project. That included visiting group therapies run by Tuzla based organisation Snaga žene, talks with the Director of the Health Centre Dom zdravlja, and interviews with local women, who were identified as potential future therapist and as such were invited to attend the training programme organised by the RDC in Sarajevo in 2008.
Recommendations for the future
It was felt that the clients needed to be encouraged to help one another more, learn to contribute in small ways. Bringing small offerings of food or expertise would help to erase the feeling of dependency on outside humanitarian aid to which they have become accustomed and also hostility or mistrust towards one another.
Adela and Emma agreed, along with the entire client base, that there is an urgent need to create an ongoing community centre in Srebrenica where group meetings can be held in a therapeutic environment .Until the time of writing there has been no such provision except for visiting doctors and therapists coming in from Tuzla and elsewhere, on occasion. The women also felt the need for much more professional therapeutic support within the town with access to other types of treatments, such as naturopathy and homeopathy. Quality of care must be the key factor.
It was felt that the Kuca Povjerenja would not be the appropriate place to establish our therapy centre. It needs to be run independently by the local community for the local community with access open to the women at all times. As well as hosting their own community days and therapy days they may be able to develop a healthy business selling local produce of medicinal herbs and teas, honey and preserves and knitted items. Lack of income perpetuates the community’s sense of helplessness. Community enterprise needs to be encouraged and will definitely contribute towards the mental/physical health of the members involved.
|
