The primary beneficiaries are all elderly and disabled refugees from the West Balkan. They came from all the ethnic communities including Roma people within the Balkan; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro.
The BHCAC does not exclude anyone from membership based on race, religion or status. The BHCAC provides an important socio-cultural focus for around 1700 elderly and disabled people which to date has been funded by Big Lottery Fund, Lloyds TSB Foundation, City Bridge Trust, City Parochial Foundation and commissioned by the London Council. Over 90% of these elderly members are also physically and mentally disabled as result of the brutal Balkan war that targeted civilians and many were emergency medical evacuees to the UK.
Many have seen family and friends killed, suffered torture, rape and other horrendous experiences as a result of being kept in concentration camps. The psychological scars that they carry are made worse by the fact that these people are living alone in a foreign land, with no family and in a place where they find it difficult to communicate in their own language and integrate into their new surroundings.
They need support to overcome these barriers and improve the quality of their lives in the UK. Most are now British citizens but feel excluded from British Society. They are unaware of their rights and entitlements and the health and social services available to them. They have no social outlet, and have no opportunity to feel useful to society. This damages their self esteem and health in the long term. They need close and careful support to overcome these barriers and improve their quality of life.
The BHCAC does not exclude anyone from membership based on race, religion or status. The BHCAC provides an important socio-cultural focus for around 1700 elderly and disabled people which to date has been funded by Big Lottery Fund, Lloyds TSB Foundation, City Bridge Trust, City Parochial Foundation and commissioned by the London Council. Over 90% of these elderly members are also physically and mentally disabled as result of the brutal Balkan war that targeted civilians and many were emergency medical evacuees to the UK.
Many have seen family and friends killed, suffered torture, rape and other horrendous experiences as a result of being kept in concentration camps. The psychological scars that they carry are made worse by the fact that these people are living alone in a foreign land, with no family and in a place where they find it difficult to communicate in their own language and integrate into their new surroundings.
They need support to overcome these barriers and improve the quality of their lives in the UK. Most are now British citizens but feel excluded from British Society. They are unaware of their rights and entitlements and the health and social services available to them. They have no social outlet, and have no opportunity to feel useful to society. This damages their self esteem and health in the long term. They need close and careful support to overcome these barriers and improve their quality of life.
