Human Rights Action (HRA) and Center for women’s and peace education (ANIMA), within the project “Beyond exclusion – effective rights for mental health patients” supported by the European Union through EU Delegation in Montenegro, conducted the competition for NGOs’ mini-grants supporting activities to assist implementation of the Action plan for the improvement of occupational therapy in the Special psychiatric hospital in Kotor.

The Commission for Evaluation of Proposals at the Special hospital in Kotor has chosen six projects that will be implemented within Hospital by NGOs:

1. “Don’t worry-play”, NGO Brljok! – will organize social games;
2. “The library worthy of people”, NGO Youth initiative for human rights – will enrich library fund, arrange library and organize a literary evening;
3. “Metacognitive training for patients with psychosis”, NGO Mental health, concerns all of us! – will organize metacognitive training for patients and train psychologists/psychiatrists for the implementation of metacognitive training;
4. “The art of the soul”, NGO Meštar i furešta – will organize workshops for making carnival masks and puppets and trained for the implementation of techniques  for decoupage and papier mache;
5. “Tie up with strands”, Association of traditional crafts and skills and foster intangible cultural heritage “Strands” – will organize a workshop of handicrafts (knitting, crocheting, embroidery) and production of souvenirs;
6. “Yoga for physical and mental health”, NGO Art of Living in Montenegro – maintain yoga classes.

The total budget for financing of projects is 38,000.00€.

“We expect projects to bring new energy to the Hospital, help treatment of patients with mental illnesses as well as their reintegration into society. We hope that such opening of the Hospital to the outside world will contribute to a better understanding of mental illness and reducing stigma towards patients who suffer or have suffered from it”, said Tea Gorjanc Prelevic, executive director of the NGO Human Rights Action.