About Invictus
NVU Invictus is a non-governmental, non-profit and non-partisan association established in Berane in 2016. It was founded from lived experience of disability and a determination to improve the conditions in which people participate in community life.
The name Invictus means “unconquered”. It reflects the dignity, persistence and agency of people who face barriers without surrendering their place in society.
Our mission
To strengthen people and communities through inclusion, opportunity and practical local action, with particular attention to those whose voices and needs are too often overlooked in public life.
Our development path
Invictus began with a clear focus on the rights, inclusion and everyday needs of persons with disabilities. Over ten years of work, this has produced experience in accessible infrastructure, inclusive sport, creative activity, social support, employability, youth participation and public awareness.
Our current Statute, adopted in 2024, provides a broader basis for community development. Alongside disability inclusion and human rights, it covers children and young people, older people, education, volunteering, employment, rural development, agriculture, mountain and rural tourism, environmental protection, digital skills, energy efficiency, culture, health and democratic participation.
This is a natural evolution rather than a departure from our identity. Inclusion remains one of our deepest competences; the wider aim is to help build capable, connected and resilient communities in Berane and northern Montenegro.
How we work
- We begin with a concrete local need and the people affected by it.
- We connect community participants with institutions, professionals and decision-makers.
- We use project-based teams suited to the subject and scale of each initiative.
- We combine direct activities with public visibility, learning and institutional dialogue.
- We aim to leave behind stronger relationships, skills and local capacity—not only completed events.
Governance and transparency
Invictus is governed through its Assembly, Management Board, Supervisory Board and President. Its work is non-profit and its assets may be used only to advance the organisation’s statutory objectives. The organisation publishes key institutional and financial documents through its website.
Leadership and local capacity
Founder and President Sreten Lekić brings lived experience, long-term civic engagement and extensive knowledge of Berane’s institutions and communities. Invictus works with associates, professionals and volunteers according to project needs, allowing it to build appropriate delivery teams while remaining closely connected to its local base.
Project development and international cooperation partner
RADAK
Project Development & International Cooperation Partner
NVU Invictus works with RADAK to develop new programme directions and project concepts, continuously monitor European and international opportunities, assess their relevance, and develop projects and applications.
The collaboration also includes identifying and building international partnerships, outreach and coordination with foreign organisations, and strengthening Invictus’s international presentation in English—including the development of its English-language website content and materials for European partners.
The partnership combines Invictus’s local knowledge, institutional and community network, and implementation capacity with RADAK’s research, strategic development and international project capabilities.