Vojput donated 2 million dinars for children with disabilities, thus marking 60 years of business

Subotica, 29 June 2022 – A donation in the amount of 2 million dinars provided by the Vojput company, is the first major donation intended for children with disabilities as part of the Dad, Mom, We Are with You! campaign. Marking 60 years of successful business, Vojput decided to allocate a portion of its funds to help children with developmental difficulties and their parents and, in doing so, show them that they are truly not alone. 

UNICEF Serbia launched the Dad, Mom, We Are with You! campaign just two weeks ago and invited companies and individuals to donate funds and support the establishment and equipping of 36 developmental counselling units in Serbia. Owing to this valuable donation, a developmental counselling unit will be refurbished in Subotica and part of the missing digital equipment will be provided, as well as an assistive technology library. The donation intended for the developmental counselling unit in Subotica, where the company Vojput is located, is an example of how business can support the development of the local community in which it operates. According to experts’ estimates, in Serbia, around 60,000 children up to 6 years of age need early intervention services, and it has been proven that, if detected on time, developmental difficulties can be overcome before the child starts school in as many as 70% of children. 

“Vojput is focused on children and families and we regularly support the community in which we have been successfully doing business for 60 years now. Even in times of great challenges modern families face nowadays, businesses must be responsive to the needs of vulnerable members of our society. We have recognised how important it is to help children with developmental delays living in this region to get the support they need on time. We co-operate with UNICEF on all important initiatives, because UNICEF is a partner that has the power to unite companies and different partners around a common goal and we remain fully committed to expanding our partnership to other areas as well," said Goran Jankovic, Director of the Vojput company. 

Family-oriented early interventions entail early recognition of developmental risks, difficulties and disabilities facing the child, additional support need assessment, and support services to parents to support the optimum development and progress of the child, together with experts. UNICEF in Serbia, in co-operation with the Ministry of Health and other partners, launched a campaign to equip developmental counselling units and early intervention intersectoral expert teams from Vranje to Subotica with assistive technology, computers and digital equipment, didactic materials, furniture tailored to the needs of children and parents, transport vehicles, and to provide training and empowerment of experts from different sectors for the implementation of family-oriented early interventions.

"Parents and children with disabilities have no time to wait and Vojput again responded quickly, earmarking as much as 2 million dinars for the refurbishment of a developmental counselling unit in Subotica and the procurement of missing equipment. Vojput is our reliable partner and important donor, who allocated two and a half million dinars to various UNICEF programmes in Serbia in the past 12 months. We are grateful to them for deciding to mark their important anniversary with us and send a strong message about the importance of investing in children, because children are our society’s greatest asset", said Jelena Kovacevic from UNICEF in Serbia. 

In the family-oriented early intervention centres, experts will, in cooperation with parents, develop an individual support plan for the child and family and implement it through regular visits by the expert team members to the family home, as well as support provided to the family and the child in the kindergarten, as the most natural environment for fostering development and learning. The goal is to support the child to achieve its full potential and to grow up happy and fulfilled, to play and learn within the family and among its peers.

UNICEF invites citizens and companies in Serbia to join the campaign supporting children with disabilities and their parents by paying contributions to account no. 160-666-18, the purpose of payment 0222 - Dad, Mom, We Are with You!