Exhibition in Banja Koviljaca

After Lajkovac and Belgrade, exhibition of works created by women and children asylum seekers, accommodated in the asylum centers in Banja Koviljaca and Bogovadja, was opened in the Center for Abandoned Children “Vera Blagojevic” in Banja Koviljaca on December 14th, 2012. The exhibition of works created during the creative, cultural, higienic and the workshops of psychological empowerment, which were organized by the Asylum Protection Center (APC/CZA) and realized during the year 2012. with women and children asylum seekers in the asylum centers, were undertaken by the APC/CZA in the partnership with the Center for Abandoned Children “Vera Blagojevic”.

 Opening ceremony was attended by the children asylum seekers from asylum center in Banja Koviljaca and children from the Center for Abandoned Children “Vera Blagojevic”. The children showed great interest in the public presentation of their work and together with the protégés of Center for Abandoned Children, to which they previously made contact during creative workshops, have spent several hours playing and pleasantly socializing.

By setting this exhibition the Asylum Protection Center has completed implementation of the project – The empowerment of asylum seekers and persons who got the asylum for the active social role in local communities, supported by the BCIF and SCAN foundation.

Having in mind the interactive relationship between visitors, the exposed products and materials, as well as having in mind the behavior of the authors, women and children asylum seekers, who were presented at the exhibition, it can be concluded that presenting the problems, fears and hopes of the asylum seekers was very successful, desirable and effective. In understanding the similarities and differences between these groups and local community, in empowering asylum seekers to survive and manage within the environment in which they are located during their difficult path to a better and safer life.

On the exhibition, general public was presented the challenges asylum seekers are facing with, in particular, the challenges the most vulnerable groups of women and children asylum seekers are facing with. This proved to be necessary for understanding and acceptance of these groups by the local community and local citizens. At the end, through the exhibition, it appeared that the clear similarity in the perception to the world, the difficulties and the every day joys were the same among any group of individuals, regardless the part of the world the same individual were coming from.