OKTA donates inclusive playground in Struga

 (24.12.2021, Skopje) – With OKTA’s support a new inclusive playground was constructed in the yard of the Elementary school “Brakja Miladinovci” in Struga, that will be a place of a cheerful play and proper physical development of the pupils, including the children with disabilities. This is the third inclusive playground, that OKTA donates in the framework of its cooperation with the Foundation “Step by step”, as part of the project “Be IN, be INclusive, be INcluded”. 

„We are pleased that this year we supported the implementation of this significant project, that focuses on the education of children with disabilities and promotes their social and educational inclusion. With the help of the Foundation and in cooperation with the municipalities, we have succeeded to construct three modern inclusive playgrounds, in three elementary schools, as safe environments important for the personal and physical development of all children. We are grateful for this joint cooperation, through which we have contributed to creating positive changes and values, not only for children with disabilities, but also for the whole community”, said the Chief Executive Officer of OKTA, Vuk Radovic. 

The inclusive playground in the Elementary school “Brakja Miladinovci” where about 1500 pupils are educated, was built with the involvement of the Municipality of Struga, which provided all necessary conditions for its implementation.

„We work on improving of the educational opportunities for all students in our municipality, with special emphasis on students with disabilities. The equal social and educational inclusion of the children in the schools is a motivation for us to build a partnership with the business sector and NGOs. We believe that with an accessible and inclusive environment, we will adequately develop the potentials of our children.”, said the Mayor of Struga, Ramis Merko.

This activity is carried out as part of the project “Be IN, be Inclusive, be INcluded”, which works to improve children’s educational opportunities, including those for physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities through providing accessible and stimulating learning environments, as well as high quality tailored lessons for the students.

„The project “Be IN, be Inclusive, be INcluded” which is financed by the European Union has as a goal to improve the educational possibilities for children with disability. We are grateful that in our mission for education without barriers and segregation we also have support from socially responsible companies, like OKTA. It sends the important message to the public that positive changes are possible when we are all involved in their implementation. We are convinced that in this way it will be possible to fulfill the common goal – schools as safe environments, open and accessible to every child and committed to quality education for children with diverse educational needs.”, said Ana Arsenovska Zafirova from the Foundation “Step by step”. 

Support of the education is one of the main pillars of OKTA’s CR strategy. In that direction, this year the company also supported the construction of inclusive playgrounds in the Elementary school “Lazo Angelovski” in the Municipality of Aerodrom in Skopje and in the Elementary school “Kocho Racin” in Dojran.