Enaida Alispahić: I am proof that anything is possible
Despite the different understandings of society, people born with Down syndrome can perform various duties in order to integrate more efficiently into society. Enaida Alispahić, a UN Volunteer, engaged as part of the Regional Programme on Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 (ReLOaD2) is the proof.
ReLOaD2, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), provides an opportunity for young people with difficulties to gain their first professional experience.
Twenty-one-year-old Enaida says that she always loved to work, whether it was housework, school or other duties, she accepted everything with joy, and that's how she welcomes every new office day.
Collaborating with people with Down syndrome is extremely rare in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Non-governmental organizations estimate that slightly more than a thousand people with Down syndrome live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while only three to four of them are permanently employed.
Enaida’s administrative tasks include archiving, preparing and scanning documentation, as well as recording incoming projects through public calls.
It's great for me here. I can do all kinds of things, write and type, and I feel really good. I come to the office in the morning with my mom. When I don't know something, I ask how to do it. Enaida Alispahić talks about her volunteer service with UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Enaida is hard-working and will come to your aid when something is needed and is extremely dedicated to completing every task. Until now, she has supported the protocol for projects that were approved by municipal public invitations, which she did impeccably. --Azra Džihanić, Enaida’s mentor and also a UN Volunteer.
However, while Enaida looks at the world optimistically, her mother says that throughout her life she was often exposed to the prejudices of the community from which the family tried to protect her.
Enaida is a real example that people with Down syndrome have great potential and that as such they can and should be integrated into our society. The municipality of Novo Sarajevo, as a socially responsible local community, will continue to provide full support in their further training and work engagement. --Dr. Hasan Tanović, Mayor of Municipality of Novo Sarajevo, expresses great satisfaction that in 2023, with the help from the European Union and UNDP, the Municipality had the opportunity to engage with a young person with disabilities.
Eniada's cheerful spirit and determination are what define her in the face of adversity and of the doubting voices about the abilities of people with Down syndrome in society.
This article was first published by the UN Development Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina and has been edited to fit the format of Diversity Mosaic.
