A.R.T. Menssana: A company whose doors are always open

A copy shop, printed T-shirts and mugs, and a team that knows a job means more than just work. The story of a Sarajevo company that began with one decision: anyone who wants to work can do so.

There is a place in Sarajevo whose doors are always open. For some people, finding work is harder than for others. Here, they have found the support they were looking for.

A.R.T. Menssana is a social enterprise in Sarajevo that employs people with mental health difficulties and disabilities. Their work is like any other business: printing, copying, binding and making personalised printed gifts for companies and individuals.

Merima Bradarić Srna, Director of Marketing and Sales at A.R.T. Menssana, tells the story of how it all began.

From simple tasks to the idea of a company

The Menssana Association was founded in 2012 by psychologists and psychiatrists who had noticed a missing link in the support system. Its day rehabilitation centre opened in 2019. Alongside outings, theatre visits and social activities, the people attending the centre took on simple work tasks. Two women, known as the hosts, would welcome others, make coffee and tidy up after everyone had left.

The association noticed that people felt better when they carried out these tasks. According to Bradarić Srna, they had long been told that they could not work, that they did not need a job because they received benefits, and were often reduced to being labelled “welfare cases”. At the centre, they showed that they could work.

Why start a company?

Some people attending the centre found jobs at other companies, but getting there was complicated. Bradarić Srna explains that although legislation on employing people with disabilities exists, prejudice remains a major barrier.