Mayor Hadžibajrić with associates visited the most vulnerable citizens

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Mayor of Stari Grad Municipality Ibrahim Hadžibajrić and his closest associates – the secretary of the state administration body and the assistant mayors, visited socially vulnerable residents of this municipality who live on the edge of existence today and handed them packages with food and hygiene supplies.
350 packages have been delivered to the homes of citizens in social need, who have no or minimal income, have elderly or sick household members, large families in need, persons over 65 who are not allowed to go out, and others, since the beginning of the state of emergency.

Secretaries of local communities were obliged to check the actual situation on the ground and identify the most vulnerable cases. Numerous calls and messages from citizens were received, requests directed to the Operational Center and local communities were recorded, and priority lists were compiled after verification. As stated by the municipal mayor, Mr. Hadžibajrić, assistance goes to the addresses of those who are most vulnerable at this moment.

“We will knock on every door where our socially vulnerable citizens live and provide assistance. Today, the municipal secretary and my associates, along with the secretaries of local communities and employees, delivered packages with food and hygiene supplies sufficient for the monthly needs of a family, and certainly, no one in this municipality will go hungry. They distributed 200 packages donated by a reputable businessman as a sign of support and help to our citizens, and I thank him for that. I ask citizens to be patient and allow the services to do their job because, unfortunately, we also encounter cases of abuse and reporting of those who do not need help. We will not allow that,” said Hadžibajrić, who visited Nana Aziza Karić today, who lives in Sedrenik and is 105 years old.

Aziza is one of the oldest residents of this municipality, a mother of a martyr, and lives on minimal income, requiring 24-hour care and assistance.

“Every year we visit Nana Aziza for our Municipality Days. Due to the circumstances that arose with the appearance of the coronavirus, I visited her a little earlier this year. Nana was expecting us, and I am glad that we made her happy, even if just a little, in these difficult times. Today, our employees will knock on many addresses where people like Nana Aziza live, alone, elderly, sick… We must not forget these people,” said Mayor Hadžibajrić.

Dina Duvnjak, Nana Aziza’s 62-year-old daughter, thanked them for this gesture and said that Nana has been bedridden for the last six months because she cannot walk, but she has no other ailments.

“Her memory is excellent, she suffers a bit from rheumatism, but there is no other therapy, she doesn't have diabetes or high blood pressure… all in all, she is well for her age. She was hoping for this visit, and it really means a lot to her, not so much financially, but she is happy that the mayor remembered her and came to see her,” Dina explained.

Assistance measures will continue

Numerous measures are being implemented in the municipality of Stari Grad to help citizens in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. The most significant measure for the socially vulnerable is the distribution of packages, which has been ongoing for two weeks, while immediately after the declaration of the state of emergency, emergency funds in the amount of 200 KM were distributed, also to the addresses of the most vulnerable citizens, as well as payments of the same amount to the accounts of unemployed mothers and veterans receiving subsistence allowance.

“We have allocated 500,000 KM to help citizens in this difficult situation and decided to be on the ground and help where it is most needed, and we have completely exempted tenants from rent for April. In the coming period, we are planning new measures and will deal with this situation as we know and can, we will bear part of the burden, help citizens and our businessmen,” Mayor Hadžibajrić concluded.