La Asociación Margina celebra su décimo aniversario
El mes pasado, la Asociación Margina, que trabaja facilitando el acceso a servicios sociales y de de salud a grupos marginalizados de la sociedad en Bosnia y Herzegovina, celebró su décimo aniversario. Lea más información, en inglés, abajo.
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Last month, Association Margina – a non-governmental, non-profit association which aims to support marginalised young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a special focus on drug use and HIV – marked the tenth anniversary of their formation. Members, guests and volunteers attended a special ceremony in city of Zenica to celebrate ten years of existence and successful work.
Association Margina was created in 2003 in Zenica by a group of people gathering around a common vision – that every individual from marginalised groups of society in Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to have health and social care. At the very begining of the Association's work, private resources of the founders were used. With great effort and dedication, the organisation quickly began implementing programmes and has gone from strength to strength since.
President Denis Dedajic, in a short address to the audience, expressed great satisfaction with the achievements of Association Margina during the past decade, and reflected on the very beginnings when Margina operated from a renovated garage and consisted of just a few dedicated enthusiasts. At the ceremony, plaques and certificates were awarded to the institutions and individuals who have contributed to the development of Association Margina during the first decade of its existence – including IDPC – and those present took the opportunity to congratulate their hosts and wish them well for the future.
Alongside this event, Association Margina also organised a three-day symposium: “Analysis of the cost-effectiveness of services for the prevention and treatment of HIV and Hepatitis C among people who inject drugs in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. The symposium was supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and was administered by UNDP. It gathered professionals together to facilitate broad discussion on the topic. The need for strong cooperation and coordination between governmental and non-governmental sectors was raised, and particular emphasis was placed on financial issues and the necessity of rationalising health systems and optimising existing services in order to achieve more efficient results.
In conclusion, all participants agreed on the importance of alternative programmes and services, and the desired goals which can only be achieved through joint efforts and working together. A final report based on this topic will be available soon (the first document of this kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina, if not the whole region).
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