In Čačak, the expanded and upgraded premises of the Regional Center for Family-Oriented Early Interventions – PORI, operating within the Developmental Counseling Service of the Čačak Health Center, were ceremonially opened.

The Regional PORI Center was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Nikola Bojović, General Director of Unipromet and Manager of the “Unipromet” Foundation, and Jasmina Šipetić Kandić, psychologist and coordinator of the PORI team at the Developmental Counseling Service.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the City of Čačak, Čačak Health Center, the “Unipromet” Foundation, UNICEF, the expert team of the Developmental Counseling Service, as well as parents of children who use the center’s services.

From Idea to a Living Space

The Regional PORI Center has been developed with the aim of ensuring that children with developmental risks, difficulties, or delays, as well as their families, receive timely and accessible support during the earliest period of life.

The foundation of this approach is family-oriented early intervention, which considers the child’s needs within the context of their family and environment. Support is therefore directed not only to the child but also to parents and other family members, while connecting the health, education, and social protection systems.

“Unipromet” Foundation Supports the Next Phase

The “Unipromet” Foundation recognized the importance of this project and became involved in its further development as the sole donor.

The Foundation’s support focused on expanding and equipping the Developmental Counseling Service premises, with a special emphasis on creating conditions for higher-quality professional work with children.

A special place in the new premises is given to the sensory and motor rooms, which enable the implementation of various activities and approaches in working with children, in line with their individual needs.

In this way, the Foundation’s support is directed not only toward space and equipment, but toward creating conditions in which professionals can provide better support to children and their families.

Jasmina Šipetić Kandić, psychologist and coordinator of the PORI team at the Developmental Counseling Service in Čačak, spoke about the importance of this new project phase:

“We have put in a lot of effort and work. Through our own engagement, starting from the initial space in the Health Center and in cooperation with the City, we first secured the initial part of the center. Thanks to the current support of the ‘Unipromet’ Foundation, we will significantly enrich our way of working. We will have better premises and higher-quality services that we can offer to children and their families. For the first time in Čačak, we have a sensory and motor room, as well as a special needs educator employed within the health system. This did not exist in Čačak before. A part of physiotherapy services is also planned, and that is something we have in our plans.”

Speaking about the center’s development process, she particularly emphasized the importance of the people involved in the project and the support of families:

“We truly have a great team of people without whom none of this would have been possible. What gives us great support and energy to continue working is the response of parents and children. All of this is possible thanks to the quality people who got involved. This is, above all, the result of teamwork.”

Family Support as Part of the Foundation’s Broader Strategy

Support for the PORI project is part of the broader activities of the “Unipromet” Foundation and its commitment to respond to community needs through concrete projects.

In line with the Foundation’s 2026 Strategy, one of the main pillars of its work is strengthening families, social inclusion, and the fight against poverty.

The PORI project connects precisely these areas. Access to professional support in early childhood is important not only for child development but also for empowering families, their inclusion in the community, and creating equal opportunities for children who need additional support.

Nikola Bojović, General Director of “Unipromet” and Manager of the “Unipromet” Foundation, emphasized that the Foundation will continue to support projects important to the local community in the coming period:

“The goal is to improve the development of young children and, let’s say, reduce certain difficulties they were, unfortunately, born with. I believe this is just the beginning. Unipromet will, as in all previous years through its work and the work of the Foundation, continue its excellent cooperation with health institutions, our maternity ward, hospitals, schools, and kindergartens. We will continue to implement our strategy and remain available to our city and community so that we can carry through all the projects we can jointly realize.”

Čačak as a Model of Good Practice

The development of the PORI Center is part of a broader process of improving the support system for children and families in Serbia. In this process, Čačak has developed a model that connects different sectors and professionals, and the experiences of the local community are being shared with other environments.

Dragana Jovanović, UNICEF’s Early Childhood Development Associate, emphasized the importance of an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach in providing support to children in early childhood:

“What I must emphasize is that interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and high-quality services in early childhood are extremely important for all children, especially for children with developmental difficulties. They enable children to acquire all the necessary skills and knowledge throughout their lives, but also to integrate in the best possible way into their local community and to progress.”

Joint Work for the Benefit of Children and Families

The importance of the project for the local community was also highlighted by Vladan Milić, Deputy Mayor of Čačak, who thanked “Unipromet” for its support, as well as the teams and management of the Health Center who have been involved in the development of the PORI program from the beginning:

“The City of Čačak recognized this project as extremely important for our youngest citizens facing certain developmental problems five or six years ago. At that time, together with the relevant ministry, we began implementation, and upon completion of that phase, as a responsible city administration, we decided to support the Health Center by covering the costs for a certain number of employees. The company Unipromet, as one of the most successful in Čačak and Serbia, recognized the efforts of the Health Center, the expert team, and the local self-government. They helped us to continue equipping and expanding this space, which today looks representative. I believe that all children who need this institution will receive proper care and conditions for proper development here, and further equipping is yet to come.”

The development of the Regional PORI Center demonstrates the importance of connecting health and educational institutions, local self-government, professionals, parents, and socially responsible partners in creating a more accessible support system for children and families.

From idea to a living space, this Center continues to provide support to children and families from Čačak and the wider region.