Sabina Grubbeson, founder of the Loza Foundation, meets one of the women who survived several rape camps during the war in Bosnia.

Project in Bosnia for female war victims:

For more than 20 years, the female survivors of the Bosnian war have been silenced, been told to keep quiet, all alone with their traumatic experiences from rape camps, sexual assaults, torture and humiliating degradation. Loza Foundation feels that this is the time to break down the silence culture and support these women; a project they are starting as a joint venture with the organisation The Power of Women.

“By giving them psychological support as well as providing legal aid at the trials, we will seek redress the grievances and crimes they have suffered”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

Their lives were ruined by the horrors of war. The women that survived the rape and concentration camps during the Bosnian war have suffered in silence mostly due to the shame and guilt that were unjustly put upon them. Many of them have isolated themselves with their traumatic memories or even take their own life.

“Almost 25 years have passed and many of these women are in desperate need of medical and psychological aid, the majority are unemployed and live in poverty. Many have given up hope and their depression is passed on to children and grandchildren. Patterns need to be broken and society putting the lid on things certainly won’t help”, Sabina Grubbeson explains.

A report presented in 2017 by Amnesty International estimates that approximately 20,000 women were subjected to rape and sexual assaults during the Bosnian war, 1992-1995. The report, based on two years of research, shows that the victims are still denied justice. Less than 800 survivors have been given a certain monthly income. And since the war crime trials begun in Bosnia 2004, less than one percent of the total number of sexual assault victims have made it to court.

“Loza Foundation is in the process of developing a joint venture with The Power of Women in order to help the women that have had to endure terrible hardships. Not only by giving mental and financial support, but also by providing legal aid at the trials.”

In her research about survivors of the war, there was one life story that really touched Sabina, and that was the story of Leila, who was 16 when the war broke out. Her life changed dramatically overnight and suddenly not worth more than the packets of cigarettes she was sold for to various military brothels. She was raped day in and day out, was tortured and put through mock executions. Leila survived, but today, two decades later, she is still suffering greatly from her ordeals during the war.

“For some people, the war is over. For us, it has only just begun.” This is the start of the book about Leila and it describes to the reader what happens to a woman, who loses the right to her own body and is put through starvation, torture and degradation. But it also brings up how many women managed to survive the most atrocious crimes against humanity.

Leila has by now turned 42 and lives in a house with her husband and their three children. The memories from the war are still haunting her, but thanks to The Power of Women, she has regained hope and faith in the future. The organisation has helped Leila to get by. She started growing lavender and a donation gave her five beehives. So far she has managed to make a living on lavender soap and selling honey.

“In August 2018, I got to meet Leila and she told me about her experiences. Leila is one of the few, who have stood up for her rights while others have remained silent, paralysed by the emotional traumas they have had to endure. But now, twenty years after the war ended, it seems as though some of these women are ready to speak up, to break the years of silence. Perhaps a certain period of silence is required before the blockages can crack, or perhaps it is just time for action.” Sabina Grubbeson deliberates.

More opportunities are now being made available through Loza Foundation and The Power of Women for private individuals and companies to make donations to the various projects for female war victims in Bosnia.

“We ask for help so that we can support these women and give them the chance of a brighter future. For every year that passes, they lose the hope of ever having their grievances redressed, but they cannot forget what they have been put through. We shouldn’t either”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

Photographer Joakim Roos’ thoughts of his work with Loza Foundation:

He has been a professional photographer for 30 years and has visited the Balkans many times. Through his work with Loza Foundation, Joakim Roos is hoping to give his audience an insight into these countries and to document, as candidly as possible, what the situation is really like for some of the most vulnerable women, children and disabled people in Bosnia and Macedonia.

“I hope that my images will touch people, make them engage and give them something to think about.”

How come you started working with Loza Foundation?

“Sabina Grubbeson contacted me regarding the project for disabled people in Demir Kapija, Macedonia. She knew I had spent lots of time photographing in the Balkans and she liked my photos.”

What made you interested in this particular charity organisation?

“Loza is extremely dedicated to their projects and a commitment is there with strong roots in the Balkan region. The projects are relevant and credible. I like that.”

How did this collaboration start?

“We made an outline of how Loza Foundation wants to communicate. I am largely a ‘black and white’ photographer and I shoot mostly documentary images. To my mind, this suits the foundation’s desire to depict a most honest view of what the situation is like on the Balkan Peninsula.”

How many times have you been to the Balkans?

“My first visit to Bosnia was back in 1995 and then I have returned several times in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2004, 2005 and 2013. Apart from those Bosnia visits, I have possibly done 20 trips or so to the other Balkan countries; Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo, Albania, Romania and Bulgaria. The Balkans is a truly amazing, exciting region. There is constant progression, which is interesting to follow, actively participate in and contribute to through Loza Foundation.”

What was it like to visit the Special Institution at Demir Kapija for the first time?

“It was a real eye-opener and tragic to witness the poor living conditions the disabled people had to cope with. Hidden away from the rest of society. Deficiencies and shortcomings on all levels. I remember thinking this is neither humane nor dignified. The people living here have disabilities that differ vastly and yet they are shoved together in no particular order. It must be very difficult to get to grips with individual needs and to also understand which abilities could benefit the rest of society. Many of the residents should be able to have a meaningful existence in the real world, outside the walls of the institution.”

What message do you want your images from Demir Kapija to convey?

“A sense of vulnerability, but at the same time describe that everyone living there is a part of the human race and ought to have his/her needs taken care of. These people should be seen, accepted, respected and be allowed to participate in society based on each individual’s unique ability.”

What are you working on right now?

“The Bosnia projects are being launched this autumn, 2018. They are primarily linked to people with disabilities, but also include women that were victims of rape during the war (1992-1995). To rebuild your life after a war is a long and difficult process. There are still IDPs (internally displaced people) in Bosnia, people that have ended up in a refugee camp and remained there for more than 20 years. Time is literally standing still and I can see people finding it tough that they cannot return to where they came from or to not be given the opportunity of building a new life for themselves. Many have developed chronic stress symptoms, but with the right form of aid, they can be helped.”

How do you think these meetings with people going through tremendous hardships affect you?

“As I am taking photos, I generally come up close and personal, which makes it harder for me to remain neutral and unaffected. It is tough to meet so many individuals that suffer, but I also feel touched in a positive sense when I see each person’s ability and warmth.”

What happens next?

“Right now I am studying social anthropology and global development at Gothenburg University. To briefly summarize, these courses are aimed at raising cultural awareness and understanding, as well as analysing where the world is heading and what would be a desirable development. Combining photography with the knowledge of what great aid work should look like is exciting.

Dr Branka Antić Štauber (to the left) in one of the 156 refugee camps that still exist in Bosnia.

Loza Foundation has partnered up with an organisation called “Snaga Zene” (The Power of Women):

They have been called “the women that were left behind”. Thousands of widows, mothers, sisters and daughters lost everything in the Bosnian war and still, to this day, live in refugee camps; stuck without the power or possibility to make it back to their home again. 

“We want to help these women to integrate back into society and to be able to support themselves financially. Regain their lives again”, says Sabina Grubbeson, founder of Loza Foundation.

More than 20 years have passed since the Bosnia-Herzegovina war, but the women who were forced to leave their homes, subjected to systematic rapes and who lost their nearest and dearest, are still plagued by horrible memories. During the war, a great number of women and children gathered in refugee camps and many of them are still there today, socially rejected and often extremely poor. The majority are suffering from post-traumatic stress and illnesses as a result of the abuse and experiences during the war. The children, who have grown up in these circumstances, are also deeply affected by the life in these camps where depression and grief are rife.

“The cause of this situation is their fear of returning to their old towns and villages, the fear of meeting their neighbours and villagers that killed their relatives during the war and this fear has turned into them refugees in their own country. Today they live outside the realms of society and have lost their faith in the future”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

Loza Foundation has now ventured into a joint project with Snaga Zene, the Power of Women, an association founded in 1999 in Tuzla a couple of years after the Bosnian war ended and is run by Dr Branka Antić Štauber. The aim is to help the 7,000 thousand women and children that still live in the 156 refugee camps left in Bosnia.

“The Power of Women has developed a successful model that incorporates psychological rehabilitation, legal advice, medical support as well as economic and social support. They, for instance, buy greenhouses for the families and educate them on how to grow their own vegetables and plants. This is so that they can make a living, but also to aid their mental healing.”

Thanks to The Power of Women, so far 300 women from the refugee camps have been able to return to their former home in Srebrenica. The infamous town where more than 8,000 Muslim boys and men were killed in a mass execution in July 1995. An unforgettable, insurmountable trauma one might think, but with the support from this organisation the women have reintegrated into society and made peace with their neighbours.

“One of the women in Srebrenica told us about the fabulous work Dr Branka does and that she, with the help of The Power of Women and her efforts in the greenhouse, has healed her wounds and reconciled with the hardship of her past. Today she can support herself financially by selling her crops and she has regained her faith in the future, which is just amazing to witness”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

The Power of Women is established in 14 towns and cities across Bosnia and their purpose is to help victims from concentration camps, sexual abuse and systematic rapes. By working with the Bosnian organisation, Loza Foundation hopes that more women will be given an opportunity to pursue some form of education and find a way out of the vacuum they have ended up in.

“We hope that these refugee camps will be emptied eventually. Social rejection and discrimination bring hatred, hostility and divergence. Children that grow up in circumstances such as these risk getting off on the wrong foot straight from the start or end up with a skewed view of life. We want to be behind all the women that need help to put their life back together, to give them a chance to succeed and this, in turn, will give the children the chance of a better future.

Through their collaboration with The Power of Women, Loza Foundation has been given access to vulnerable, exposed women in Bosnia, which enables the foundation to support and give them strength in a professional and successful way.

“Now we need private individuals and companies in Sweden to support our work and donate money to the project so that these women and their children, who have already had to endure so much suffering and hardship, can be given a better life.

“For many of these people, the war is still carrying on. We want an end to this.

Partnership. Sabina Grubbeson at the United Nations office in Skopje, here pictured with Vesna Kostic-Ivanovic, project manager for the UNDP team at Special Institution Demir Kapija and Marija Trifunovska, coordinator for people with functional disabilities, UNDP Macedonia.

Safety and learning, a meaningful life, clothes and personal belongings. Loza Foundation and UNDP have partnered up in a unique project to improve the living conditions for people with functional disabilities at Special Institution Demir Kapija in Macedonia.  

United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has offices in more than 170 countries. Since June 2018 they have a team of 15 people stationed at Demir Kapija, specifically tasked with improving the living conditions at the institution. They are for instance looking at dividing the residents into smaller groups, where each group will be taught how to eat, sleep, learn how to take care of their own personal hygiene and understand how each individual should fit into a family and in society.

“These people have been institutionalised for so long and been neglected for so many years that they have lost their human dignity, their identity or knowledge of human behaviour. Or, in some cases, never been given the chance to have these in the first place. Many of them do not have a language, have not been taught how to dress themselves or understand what rights they have”, says Sabina Grubbeson, founder of Loza Foundation.

“The work at Special Institution Demir Kapija is a long-term project and it will take years to improve the situation there. This is the first phase of a transformation process. We have sought project partners to help improve the situation and then we were invited to partner up with UNDP. They supply the staff and we provide the equipment.

Together these two organisations, Loza Foundation and UNDP, will strive towards improving the situation for the residents at the institution. A partnership that will improve the possibilities for a safer situation with well-functioning, effective routines and daily activities.

“Loza Foundation will contribute with things like washing machines, furniture and clothes so that the residents can practice functioning in a normal home. How to cook, clean and look after oneself will be practised in smaller groups of residents with the help of UN staff members.”

By contributing to long-term improvement and normalization of the residents’ living conditions, the goal is that the individuals will eventually integrate into society. Be able to live in a home like everyone else, be properly dressed and have a warm bed to sleep in.

“With this UNDP partnership, we are ever-present at the institution and can cooperate together for the future of these people. For their rights and their path back into society”, says Sabina.

Before the winter and colder temperatures arrive in Macedonia, she hopes to have enough sweaters, trousers, underwear and slippers available for the residents. Most goods will be purchased from local producers in Macedonia to help develop sustainable economic progress there, but the foundation is also looking for help from Swedish producers in order to source winter coats for all the residents, 220 in total.

“This is one part of our ongoing health project and I will be there on site with a range of volunteers, for instance, medical podologists from Sweden to name just one group. UNDP is responsible for organising the equipment, putting names on each item of clothing and storing everything in the correct personal locker. They will educate the residents on how to take care of and wash one’s clothes.”

At the moment, Loza Foundation is searching for a psychotherapist to participate in this development project at Demir Kapija.

“Many of the residents have been given the wrong diagnosis or no diagnosis at all, which means they also have the wrong medication prescribed to them. Establishing the correct treatment plan for each individual can mean everything to their rehabilitation process”, says Sabina.

From institution to inspiration. In a mountain valley, just outside Tuzla in Bosnia, ten people with varying disabilities live and work together on a farm. Loza Foundation has now stepped in to help USU Garden so that more people can be transferred from large institutions to the lush, self-sufficient little farmstead in the rural countryside.

Right now, ten people are regarding USU Garden in Trakilovici as their home, which is located approx. fifteen minutes outside Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The farmstead was founded by Fata Ibralic, chairwoman at Sumero, an organisation that aims to move institutionalized individuals out of clinical establishments and pave the way for them to be included in the society.  She runs the residential farm with her son Mirsad, who also works at the farm as a teacher and support nurse.

“I contacted Fata earlier in the spring after having read about her research into mentally disabled and their vulnerable situation in Bosnia. With their concept at USU Garden, Fata and Mirsad have developed a successful model for how people can live in freedom, in harmony, in a healing environment and have the same human rights as everyone else”, says Sabina Grubbeson, founder of Loza Foundation.

At USU Garden, people with disabilities are taught how to be more independent and how to function in today’s society. The house consists of small self-contained rooms or flats, fitted with kitchen and bathroom, where people live together two and two. The residential home is self-sufficient and they grow vegetables at the farm, which are later sold at the market in the village centre.

“When we visited for the first time in the spring, I was impressed by the sustainable organisation. How everything was meticulously planned out, interdependent and had been built to work long-term. To see people with disabilities, who have been rejected by society,  find a sanctuary with love, freedom and work is simply amazing”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

In August 2018, she travelled back to the verdant, flourishing farmstead in Trakilovici and stayed there for a week to get to know the residents better; their history, work and everyday life.

“We can learn so much from these individuals and their stripped-back honesty. Individuals, who that have been betrayed and let down by parents and family, people surrounding them and society in general.  Their grief and yearning to belong, but also gratitude and joy in what they have and their dreams for the future. They have hope and faith; hope to learn new things, to contribute and be a part of something larger, and a dream of being someone that counts”, says Sabina.

Now these individuals, who have lived most of their life in various institutions, can support themselves in a balanced, calm environment where they also have the opportunity to both learn and heal. Everything in symbiosis.

“I find it incredibly inspiring that Fata and Mirsad, against all the odds and in one of the poorest countries in Europe, have found a way to create this self-sufficient residential home and a brighter future for disabled people. They have proven that nothing is impossible, which in turn makes it possible for other countries to follow.

Loza Foundation is stepping in to give USU Garden room for more. By renovating the first floor and completing the heating system, they will be able to accept six new residents and two more employees. Loza Foundation is also buying a minibus to make transportation to and from the market easier, whenever the residents have to sell their vegetables, visit the doctor or make excursions. Sabina hopes that the work with USU Garden will inspire to further development of residential homes in Bosnia.

“I just hope our joint work will help fight the stigma and fears rife in countries where disabled people are not included in the society. To show them that we can exist in society together and how every single individual should have the basic human right to a home, a safe & secure environment and love. A dignified life, a life worth living.”

The start-up phase of Loza Foundation’s aid projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina is now underway after a ten-day research trip to a number of institutions and operations around the country.

“The goal is to reach the most vulnerable people and improve their living conditions”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

Towards the end of April, Sabina Grubbeson, founder of Loza Foundation, visited various institutions, group homes and organisations that are working with and for people who are especially exposed and vulnerable in Bosnia.

To find these operations Sabina contacted the Swedish branch of the National Women’s Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Nasa Djeca (Our children), a Swedish organisation that is helping vulnerable children in Bosnia. Sabina also met with Fata Ibralic, the chairwoman of Sumero, an organisation that strives to get institutionalised people in Bosnia and Herzegovina included in society.

“Based on our foundation guidelines, i.e. to help people with disabilities, women and children in vulnerable positions as well as the organisations and operations that have these groups’ best interest at heart, they all came up with suggestions of which places we should visit”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

This resulted in a ten-day long research trip through Bosnia, where they managed to visit 15 different locations. The locations spanned from organisations and associations, which help women who have fallen victim to the war, to larger institutions, where disabled children and adults live.

“One of the most vulnerable groups in the country is the individuals that, due to different reasons, have been placed in institutions. In these places, there could be hundreds of people living in prison-like surroundings and they spend most of their lives there”, says Sabina.

But there´s also a glimmer of hope and light. In some institutions, the authorities have moved people to smaller premises and houses, where they are supposed to readjust to the society and eventually learn to care for themselves. The Loza staff members had one particularly inspiring meeting with Fata Ibralic, the chairwoman of Sumero. This is an organisation with an aim of getting institutionalised people included in society. Fata is running a daycentre in Tuzla, where people with various functional disabilities receive training and education to make them independent and able to function in the society. She has also built up a self-sufficient group residence for people that have been living at various institutions before.

“It was amazing to see Fata’s work and what she has managed to achieve for the weakest and most vulnerable group in society.”

The task of choosing which projects Loza Foundation should support have only just started. First and foremost they are focusing on a project for disabled people, but they are also carrying on with their research in order to develop a plan to support vulnerable women in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Our work in Bosnia and Herzegovina has only just begun. We look forward to reaching out to people that are often not aware of their human rights and we can give them an opportunity to have a brighter future”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

These are the locations Loza Foundation visited:

• Duje Institution in Doboj, north-eastern Bosnia, with 450 people with disabilities.
• Drin Institution in Fojnica, outside Sarajevo, with close to 500 people with disabilities.
• Bacovici Institution, close to Drin, with approx 300 people with disabilities.
• Pazaric Institution, north of Sarajevo, with approx 350 disabled children and adults.
• Stolac Institution in southern Bosnia, a former juvenile detention facility where the authorities have decided to house 150 people with various disabilities.
• USU Garden, a self-sufficient group residence that manages a farm of their own. A project managed by Fata Ibralic.
• Daycare centre in Zepce for disabled children.
• Nasa Djeca (‘Our Children’) in Mostar for children with disabilities.
• Los Rosales in Mostar, a daycare centre and residence for children with disabilities.
• SOS children´s villages in Sarajevo.
• Education centre in Srebrenica, which is a primary school and residential home for children coming from remote villages with no access to schooling nearby.
• USUTZ (Association for Social Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disabilities) run by Fata Ibralic.
• MyRight in Sarajevo, a Swedish foundation with an aim of support to development and structure organisations for disabled people.
• Snaga Zene that work for women all around Bosnia, who have fallen victims to the war.
• Nas Glas, in Tuzla, an association for women victims of the war.

Loza Foundation chooses local produce to ensure sustainable development and growth:

Sustainability and a long-term perspective in every phase and area of the organisation are extremely important to charity fundraiser Loza Foundation. The clothes and goods destined for donation are bought from local producers, as close to the aid projects as possible.

“When we were buying pyjamas for the people living at the Demir Kapija institution in Macedonia, we chose a local clothes manufacturer with only 10 employees. We want to contribute to economic growth in the countries where we are active”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

So far, Loza Foundation has purchased 230 pairs of pyjamas, 500 pairs of socks and 300 bath towels to equip their pilot project, the institution in Demir Kapija, with goods for the disabled children and adults living there. All the clothes come from local producers in Macedonia.

“The pyjamas are made at a small sewing factory in Kumanovo, the socks come from a manufacturer in Skopje and the towels are from a factory in Veles”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

Working with local producers in the different countries where Loza Foundation is active, and thus contribute to economic growth, is something that was planned right from the start.

“We want to contribute to more jobs right there in the poor region and buy from small producers with growth potential. We also hope to inspire Swedish companies to manufacture in Macedonia. They have a long history of textile production in this region and are strategically well placed at the heart of Europe. They also have a free-trade agreement, which means that goods that are exported from Macedonia and into the EU are classed as duty-free.

When a local producer cannot be found, Loza Foundation has also contacted companies in Sweden. The Varberg-based company Vagabond, for example, donated shoes to the Demir Kapija institution. But the foundation chooses local produce wherever possible.

“That also helps cut lengthy transport routes, which have a detrimental effect on the environment. When we buy a sweater in Macedonia, which will be worn by people located fairly close to the manufacturing site instead of bringing it to Sweden, we actually save a 2,500 km transportation distance. Furthermore, this purchase will benefit the local economy and create jobs in one of the poorest countries in Europe”, Sabina Grubbeson explains.

Loza will now continue their work of taking care of the different needs at the Demir Kapija institution, Macedonia. The people living there will be given the clothes they need. Underwear and trousers are in great demand. Not to mention washing machines to keep the clothes clean.

“In Sweden, most of us are fortunate enough to have clothes to wear, food on the table and a small amount of money saved at the end of the month. We need to start sharing what we have with people who have nothing and contribute to building a Europe where we look after the weakest in society.”

Next on Sabina’s schedule is a research trip to Bosnia. The aim is to reach out to ones in need and establish a connection with local producers for future aid projects.

“I do hope more people want to contribute to the work we do, so that we can give a little bit of our plethora to people who need it the most!”

Caption: Marina works as a seamstress at Greeny Collection, a small sewing factory in Kumanovo, Macedonia. There are ten employees working here on a small space.  In the future, the manufacturer hopes to move into larger premises and be able to employ more people.

Anticipation, successes and challenges. During the first year of Loza Foundation our focus has been to get the operations up and running and to broadcast our message to the world. The vision for our second year is to dig deeper and start seeing results. We are, for instance, extending our operations to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“During 2018 our goal is to get twice as good and twice as many!” says the initiator of the foundation, Sabina Grubbeson.

2017 was mostly about launching the pilot project in the institution for disabled people at Demir Kapija, Macedonia, continue our research work and build up the newly started charity foundation. Loza Foundation plan to continue the research in Macedonia during 2018 and is also expanding into Bosnia and Herzegovina. This spring, founder Sabina Grubbeson will visit institutions and organisations in Tuzla and Sarajevo to reach vulnerable people subjected to particularly poor living conditions.  In parallel, there is a project being run where the focus is health, identity and future prospects for the people at Demir Kapija, Macedonia.

“We are striving to give people a more humane situation in their everyday life; for them to be allowed to have personal belongings and also have the possibility to wash and keep themselves clean”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

Members of the Swedish Association of Podiatrists will travel down to Demir Kapija as volunteers and educate the staff in medical foot care. Dental care is also included in the project in order to give the residents at the institution the help they need to take care of their own hygiene.

“We are also looking at possibilities of moving patients out from this sort of institutions and into a more home-like environment. I hope that a few of them will be able to move into a group home of their own before the end of the year. We are looking for a house that can accommodate 4-5 residents and hope to be able to offer these people a real home”, says Sabina Grubbeson.

This autumn, Loza Foundation will participate at the Book Fair in Gothenburg and also the Forum for Human Rights in Stockholm. There are also plans for various lectures in Stockholm, Goteborg and Malmö to increase awareness and share information about the work that Loza Foundation is doing.

“It’s important to tell people about the desperate needs of these countries and how we all can make a difference. We hope these lectures will be an eye-opener and a way to broadcast what we do to support vulnerable people in some of the poorest countries in Europe. ”

As Loza Foundation is entirely dependent on contributions, Sabina Grubbeson hopes that more companies or individuals will choose to support the organisation.

“This Christmas a school in Varberg organised a collection where the proceeds went to Loza Foundation. That gives me great hope for the future and makes me believe in humanity and spirit of generosity. In order for Loza to survive and be able to carry out our projects, we will need at least 40 companies to connect with us as corporate ‘friends of Loza’ during 2018”.

Sabina Grubbesons hope for the rest of 2018 is that the projects in Macedonia and Bosnia will be successful and that people in vulnerable, precarious situations will get the chance of a better life and be respected as valued human beings.

“This will not be achieved overnight, but I have a positive feeling and it seems to be going in the right direction. I just got back from a week in Macedonia, where we had a meeting with the Minister of Social Policy, Mila Carovska. She told us there had been several decisions made to improve the life and situation of disabled adults and children”, Sabina says.

She is hoping that the foundation will grow at least double the size when it comes to volunteers and staff.

“We are also looking for co-founders for the foundation, i.e. companies that want to take on a partner role in Loza Foundation”, says Sabina Grubbeson and points out that running a charity foundation is all about teamwork.

“It requires lots of passionate people, working together to reach a joint goal; a brighter future for the most vulnerable people in Europe.”

A car was loaded at Vagabond, a shoe-making company located in the town of Varberg, on the west coast of Sweden, and headed to the Special Institution of Demir Kapija, Macedonia. Thanks to the company’s generous gift of 400 pairs of warm shoes, the winter months will now be warmer and more pleasant for the people living at this Special Institution.

“It feels wonderful to have received so many shoes, enough to go around so that everyone gets a pair. The people that have not had shoes up to now, can all of a sudden go outdoors and enjoy the fresh air even on the cold winter days, which they were not able to do before. Many of the people living here have probably never had a pair of brand new shoes before,” says Sabina Grubbeson, founder of  Loza Foundation.

Each year, Varberg-based Vagabond allocate a portion of their profit to charity. This year they have supported Loza Foundation’s work for vulnerable people in the poorest countries of Europe by donating 400 pairs of shoes worth 40,000 euro in total.

Along with the shoes, the Institution received socks, which Loza Foundation purchased from a local manufacturer in Macedonia.

“I personally did not have the opportunity to be there  this particular time, but our Macedonian representatives informed me that the residents and the staff were very happy and curious about the new shoes.”

The new shoes were displayed  in a few different rooms at the institution and the residents could take their time to try out the right size and model.

“It was very important to us that the residents would be able to choose the pair they wanted. Previously, if they had received shoes, they were usually second-hand and not always in very good condition nor the right fit. We therefore wanted to give them the feeling of visiting  a shoe store all by themselves and having the joy of trying out their favorite pair. We wanted to offer them an opportunity to enjoy something that is normal for most people and at the same time give them a sense of identity and self-confidence.”

Since many residents at the Demir Kapija institution find it difficult to take care of their feet due to various disabilities, one of Loza Foundation’s upcoming projects will be to seek volunteers to help out with foot care. The plan is to let these volunteers come to Macedonia and provide foot care to those with foot problems and train the staff at this institution on how to  help the disabled people  with their feet.

“We have started discussions with a Swedish organization of foot therapists and we are developing the project. Right now, we are looking for foot specialists in Sweden who want to volunteer and really make an important impact for the vulnerable people of Macedonia,” says Sabina Grubbeson, founder of  Loza Foundation.

Loza Foundation works for the most vulnerable people in the poorest countries of Europe, a rating based on the United Nations Human Development Index, HDI.