Mladenovac, 11 Feburary 2022 – Residential care institutions in 27 cities and municipalities received a donation of IT equipment amounting to 124.000 Euro. The donation includes over 500 devices and aims to facilitate not only communication of residential care home residents with relatives, but also the daily work of workers in social protection. For this purpose, more than 140 tablets and computers, over 30 smart TVs, 30 projectors and projection screens and more than 250 small devices such as cameras, headphones, printers, routers and keyboards have been provided.
Minister for Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, attended the delivery of IT equipment to the residential care institution in Mladenovac, thus marking the conclusion this activity.
“This equipment will primarily allow better communication of beneficiaries with their near ones. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we witnessed that this is the safest and sometimes the only way to communicate. Regarding residential institutions for children without parental care, this equipment will offer a great help in online education”, stated Kisic Tepavcevic.
People who live in the residential institution in Maldenovac talked about their experiences during the pandemic with the Deputy Premanent Representative from the German Embassy, Dorothea Gieselmann and the Good Governance Programme Leader from GIZ, Stephan Heieck.
Gieselmann highlighted a shared characteristic of the German-Serbian Development Cooperation projects: their support to those in need and in line with their needs. Adding, that the Covid-19 pandemic revealed the importance of modernization in digital tools, while the equipment delivered to residential institution for elderly and children contributed to this end.
In the previous two years since the start of the pandemic, residential care homes residents and staff have been periodically in a lockdown, when no visitors were allowed.
“At a time when our residents cannot leave the institution and cannot receive visitors, we need to ensure that they spend quality time, prevent alienation and preserve their remaining abilities”, says Ivana Matejić, Acting Director of the Home for the Elderly in Smederevo.
In addition to IT equipment, GIZ also provided more than 19,000 protective equipment items, such as protective suits, surgical masks and contactless thermometers.
“The Covid-19 pandemic particularly affected residential institutions for the elderly. Together with the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, GIZ launched an initiative to support and modernize these institutions. We are very pleased that this equipment arrived, where it is most needed”, states Markus Maier, project leader from GIZ.
The new equipment ensures not only a sustainable contact with relatives but makes people’s everyday life interactive and fulfilled.
“Thanks to the new large-screen television sets, the “cinema” we arranged in the dining hall of our Home, will be completely revamped, and residents will have an immersive experience, like being in a real movie theatre”, says Tanja Lukić, Acting Director of the Pančevo Geriatric Centre.
The provision of equipment is supported by the German-Serbian Development Cooperation project “Social Services for Vulnerable Groups“ and implemented by GIZ.