Creating Inclusive Spaces for All
How USAID helped a Macedonian village create a sensory room at an elementary school
The village of Radusha in North Macedonia sits just over a hill near the country’s capital, Skopje. Radusha may seem small but its community is mighty. With a population of only 4,000, the village is making important changes from the inside out. The community managed to identify and address the need for a therapeutic, calming space in less than six months.
Here’s how they did it.
First, a leader with a vision connected the dots. Faik Konica Elementary School Director Besim Agushi regularly organizes Parent Council meetings to identify the village’s education needs. In early 2022, parents of children with autism voiced their pressing need for support. With the help of USAID, the local community established a sensory room at the elementary school, one of only a few dozen in the country.
Head Teacher Ilvije Arifi credits social inclusion as the glue behind the effort.
“There is much more acceptance of autism now than 15 to 20 years ago,” she said. “Students see their peers with autism as different but equal.”
In North Macedonia, autistic children are required by law to attend and learn in the same classrooms as their neurotypical peers. They have the right to request a class assistant for support. However, classrooms can still create obstacles for students with autism dealing with sensory overload.
This is because many people with autism experience sensory differences. They may be oversensitive to some of our five senses and under-sensitive to others. Often, it is a combination of both. Sensory rooms can help people with autism to regulate feelings of distress.
“As a parent of an autistic child, the sensory room is a beacon of hope for us. It’s a space where my child can feel safe, understood, and free to express themselves,” said Ganimete Topojani.
In Radusha, the room features a swing, materials for touching, and a water bubble machine (like a big lava lamp) to foster a calming environment. Exercise can help students work out excess energy, so some sensory rooms have hula hoops, exercise bikes, or moveable obstacle courses.
“I was both surprised and intrigued by the concept of a sensory room,” Besim said. “The challenge was finding a way to bring this idea to life within our limited resources.”
USAID’s Local Works program aims to empower local communities like Radusha to take the lead in identifying and addressing their own development challenges.
“I learned about the USAID program through word of mouth,” Besim said. “We knew there were solutions out there, so we proactively reached out to USAID to get the help we needed.”
Through the Social Impact Investments in Communities project, USAID brings together local citizens, civil society organizations, municipal authorities, businesses, and other interest groups to generate ideas, develop projects with broad social impact, and mobilize resources to implement them.
The wheels were then set in motion.
With USAID support, local partner Albiz Foundation provided the group with guidance and advocacy support on how to carry out their plan. Albiz helped organize information sessions and awareness campaigns to educate the community. In the sessions, they focused on facts about autism and the benefits of sensory rooms.
School psychologist Selvije Murati describes the village environment as supportive but unaware of the needs of autistic students.
“Most parents don’t know what sensory processing needs are,” Selvije said. “Once parents understood the goals, many supported the project.”
The outreach, in turn, attracted additional resources.
And now we get to the second step of locally led development: community resource mobilization.
The Albiz Foundation helped the community group identify and attract financial support for the sensory room through their own networks. They gathered more than $9,000 in the form of in-kind donations, pro bono work, and business donations, and with USAID’s gap funding, the initiative was successfully completed.
The sensory room opened in December 2022. Designers incorporated pastel walls, soft carpets, and gymnastic floor mats as calming features. Students remove their shoes and interact with LED lights, magnetic whiteboards, and a blackout playhouse.
To date, teachers report the space is used by students for three to six hours a week. The sensory room is open to all students who can benefit, including learners without identified disabilities.
One father said, “The sensory room is not just a room; it’s a gateway to a world where my child can thrive and connect with others in a way that’s comfortable for them.”
The work is ongoing.
In Radusha, the community group now seeks to address the need for technically certified teachers to work in the sensory room. However, there is a critical need for professional educators trained in supporting individuals with autism throughout the country.
“The lack of trained and certified teachers is still a big problem for our school,” said Headteacher Ilvije Arifi. “It hinders our ability to provide the specialized support needed for students with autism.”
Still, the group is optimistic.
After successfully creating inclusive spaces for the children in their village, they are up for the challenge.
“Now that we have the sensory room, the Ministry of Education can see how serious we are about inclusive learning,” Ilvije said. “Our next step is to secure the teachers we need.”
Since 2021, USAID and the Albiz Foundation have mobilized more than $200,000 in cash and in-kind donations, such as local government donations of space, local construction workers’ pro bono input, and cash donations needed for community-based projects in four municipalities in North Macedonia.
USAID will continue to partner with the private sector and the Albiz Foundation through 2025, with the goal of broadening the impact of initiatives. By leveraging these partnerships and lessons learned, the project aims to create a sustained impact, fostering inclusivity and accessibility for individuals with sensory processing differences both locally and nationally.
USAID celebrates communities that take charge of their own development. Together, we spark changes that are made possible through partnerships — in North Macedonia and around the globe.
About the Authors
Lee Weber is the USAID/North Macedonia Development and Outreach Communications Editor in Skopje. Genc Jakupi serves as an administrative, finance, and communications officer in the Social Impact Investments in Communities project funded by USAID/North Macedonia, implemented by the Albiz Foundation.
