the miracles centre for prosthesis and care
With the horrifying statistics proving that Bosnia is one of the worst land-mined countries in the world, in 2000 MIRACLES launched an appeal to build its own specialist prosthesis centre where landmine victims can receive the ongoing treatment they so desperately need.
The MIRACLES Centre for Prosthesis and Care was officially opened on 1st April 2009 funded by grants from The John Armitage Charitable Trust, The International Trust Fund and Marc Pereire. With just one Certified Prosthetist (CPO), Nihad Subasic, an average of one limb a week has been made and fitted though this figure will increase substantially with the addition of a further CPO (Admir Zekic) and a Technical Assistant (Amel .........), both funded by La Fondation Miracles Suisse.
The Centre is now run by our local NGO, Divita-Miracles , under the direction of Matthew Procter MBE and with a board of Bosnian National Trustees including Elvira Dugalic and Nihad Subasic established to deal with local government matters and internal fundraising.
MIRACLES is now looking for partner organisations to assist with its Training, Education and Psychotherepy programmes and to develop this major project into the Centre of Excellence for which it was built. For this Miracles needs continuing funding for which widespread help is earnestly sought.
One million landmines still unaccounted for……
The 92-95 war caused the loss of an estimated 250,000 lives, displaced nearly half of the pre war population of 4.4 million people and cost an estimated $100 billion in war damage.
The war turned Bosnia-Herzegovina from a medium income country to a poor one and it is estimated that over half of its current population are poor or border line poor and suffer serious shortage in all aspects of welfare.
The war left a legacy of landmines and 15 years on it is still one of the seven most land mined countries in the world. There have been an estimated 5,000 people damaged by these mines since the war – 1,660 since 1996 of which 328 have been children – 1 in 5 of every victim.
Given the level of widespread poverty and a health system that is fractured and underfunded many of these victims have gone without any kind of quality prosthetic care or psychological support. Children and young adults are the most vulnerable – the impact of a landmine explosion on their bodies and minds is devastating.
Children need their prosthetics altered or remade every six months to accommodate for growth. Without this regular support their prosthetic limbs are useless.
The Miracles Centre Objectives
• Provide prosthetic care for as many land mine victims as sustainable, across all regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina irrespective of a survivor’s location, religion or social/economical situation.
• Target children in the first instance, who are the most vulnerable and need constant ongoing support that current local services cannot meet.
• Liaise closely and establish effective working relationships with all heath authorities across each Canton in order to work as a complimentary arm of the national health system.
• Develop effective relationships and partners with other landmine survivor groups and care organizations locally and internationally.
• Develop an overall holistic and best practice approach, which will ensure all landmine survivors receive the quality of care they deserve.
• Develop a community based rehabilitation centre that can offer much needed psychosocial community support.
• Train two local citizens as CPOs to internationally recognized qualifications.
• Fully staff the Centre with Bosnia-Herzegovina citizens providing much needed employment.
Miracles is a non profit charity that relies on generous individuals to support us. We believe every person can make a difference and need dedicated individuals who believe landmine victims deserve the very best care and support that they can be given.
Whatever the size of your donation every single penny will go towards treating and supporting landmine victims and casualties of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Please help Miracles to help them.