Members of the Colibri Association protest in front of the KS Government building: Our children were left without support, and our association is of public interest!

(Patria) - In the park opposite the Sarajevo Canton Government building, protests were held today by members of the Colibri Association, which brings together parents of children and persons with developmental disabilities.

In February 2024, this association was declared an association of special interest to the Canton of Sarajevo by the KS Assembly.

The same Government did not pay the installment to the Association, due to which their electricity, telephone, and internet were disconnected last week, causing operations to cease.

After the protest was announced, on Friday afternoon, the KS Government paid the installment, but the protests were still held precisely because of such negligent behavior by the authorities.

As the president of the Colibri Association, Aida Hrnjić, stated today, she was first told there would be no money, and then suddenly the money was paid.

"I paid 152 KM this morning to reconnect the electricity. Our children were left completely without support. Numerous projects were canceled, the excuses were 'no money,' 'ponder.' As a mother, I really no longer accept such treatment of our children. I don't dispute anyone's right, but today severance pay is being paid in public institutions. Okay, great, but that doesn't mean other categories of the population should disappear," Hrnjić said.

The KS Government's installment to this association amounts to 50,000 KM, and more than half of that amount is needed for rent and utilities for the Center's very existence.

"Very little money remains. We pay educators, who are professionals working with children. And in the end, these clichés of inclusion, we have a mobile team. My child has never received an IEP, and we are entering October. What kind of inclusion are we talking about?" Hrnjić asked.

She added that they will request full annual funding for working with children from the KS Government.

"At the federal level, funds are allocated for our children from the profits of lotteries and gambling. Is that intended to round out the system for our children? We signed a contract a month ago, and we still haven't received the money," Hrnjić said.

Zinaida Jamakosmanović, the mother of a girl with autism, said she was still under the impression of yesterday's footage of the Pazarić residents, and that today they are addressing the public with special emotion and will no longer remain silent.

"Do we have to protest to get money? And the shock my child experienced because she couldn't attend two workshops last week, these people don't know about that. We are seeking institutional support, and this is what happens when we have non-institutional support. These people don't know how to manage public budgets. What we saw yesterday with the Pazarić residents is unacceptable," Jamakosmanović said.