The members of the „Pašinka“ Association help community, especially the elderly, to bring medicines or other supplies, but also to provide any other assistance
In order to promote and protect women”s rights, and to eliminate discrimination against women with a particular focus on women and girls within marginalized and minority groups in ten municipalities in B&H, the European Union is funding the project “Women”s Rights – An Agenda for Positive Change”, implemented by the CURE Foundation (CURE) and the Foundation for Women’s Empowerment (FWE).
One of these local communities is Hajderović in municipality of Zavidovići, where two-day workshop was organized in collaboration with the “Pašinke” Women”s Association before the pandemic of new coronavirus Covid-19 declared. Then the participants said that their goal was generally to improve the lives of women in the countryside through further trainings.
Through a recent interview with the president of the “Pašinka” Association Mersiha Skejić on how they organized themselves during the pandemic and how their cooperation on the “Women”s Rights – Agenda for Positive Change” project helped them, Mersiha said that they were very pleased to collaborate with the CURE Foundation and the FWE on this project.
The support for the association is of great importance to them because they have ideas for community empowerment, but they need someone to help them gain experience in their work. Any kind of support is significant and has a long-term effect.
Thanks to a European Union grant, they purchased industrial sewing machines, and now, with the help of sewing machines and the materials they already had, they immediately began tailoring masks to contribute in fight against pandemic of the new coronavirus.
Mersiha said that women had to refocus on other tasks, but also that they quickly adapted to the new conditions by obeying the rules and living a life with greater caution.
All members of the association immediately made themselves available to members of the community, especially the elderly, to bring them medicines or other supplies, but also to provide any other type of assistance, about 360 of them.
Talking about the issues that are women in Hajderovići faces, she confirmed that any problem they encountered they found a way to overcome it, because if any woman was alone or in any kind of need during this crisis, the organization for civil protection respond to the call.
– They organized on time, and provided necessary equipment such as masks, and anyone who is in need can come to their checkpoints to search for help – Mersiha explained.
Until now, there were no examples of possible abuse of women at the time of the pandemic, since women in the countryside were mostly spend their time in house anyhow, but if such a thing happened Mersiha notes that they will respond appropriately.
– However, women feel more pressure because children are homeschooled now, they are intensively cleaning the house and disinfecting it, and they generally bear that burden – says Mersiha.
Most of the women from Hajderovići that have job work in the textile industry, and they remain employed, they have be only assigned to groups to act in accordance with all prescribed measures.
She told everyone to stay home because by taking care of themselves you take care of others, and everything would come to an end, that’s why she called for patience.
