UNICEF on Wednesday presented the results of a HRK 1.5 million programme for providing professional and technological assistance to children with speech difficulties and improve their everyday lives.

As part of the project, 310 experts from 106 institutions were educated and techonological assistance was made available to children and their families, UNICEF said.

In Croatia, there are no data on how many children with complex communication difficulties could benefit from assisted communication, but based on international experience, it is estimated that there are 4,346 such girls and boys.

Those children cannot communicate by speech, but with assisted communication their speaking skills can improve and make families’ everyday lives easier.

Assistive technology includes computer software and hardware, speech synthesizers, pictures, photographs and special communication books.

As part of the “Communication for Every Child” programme, experts from health institutions, social welfare institutions, kindergartens and civil society organisations in Croatia, as well as from 19 private institution, have been educated.

Assistive technology, computer equipment and a hundred tablets worth nearly HRK 600,000 have been provided for institutions included in the programme.

A free open source mobile application, Cboard, which turns text into speech, has been translated and adapted to Croatian.