Volunteer Activities in Flooded Areas in Serbia

In June 2014, the action for cleaning Obrenovac, which has been organised by the crisis committee #United (#Udruzeni), started with the renovation of the local school and kindergarten. Direct aid to this renovation action also arrived from two international organisations: Global Solidarity Association from Poland, whose volunteers arrived directly in Obrenovac to put hands on the renovation, and People in Need from the Czech Republic, which provided necessary building material and translated the manual ‘’Elimination of damage after floods’’ into Serbian language; the manual is available online and it was handed out to the citizens of Obrenovac and Paracin.

The President of the European Comission Jose Manuel Barroso visited the primary school "Jovan Jovanović Zmaj" in Obrenovac, later on June 29, where he affirmed that the EU will continue to support Serbia, not only in the upcoming weeks, but for months and years.

Also in June, a multiethnic group of young men and girls (Albanians, Bosnians, Roma and Serbs) from South Serbia provided their help in action for cleaning Paracin in the frame of the “YouthBuild” program. Together with the Student Organisation of Paracin, they helped cleaning public institutions, schools, as well as private properties. Participants in the “YouthBuild” program have been acquainted with this type of activities, since they had implemented several successful local actions in their local communities, such as renovation of schools or cleaning of parks and river branches.

The "YouthBuild - Educated and Active Youth" program is conducted by Civic Initiatives and supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Caritas Luxembourg Foundation, YouthBuild International, the city of Vranje and municipalities of Bujanovac and Presevo. During the past five months, the girls and young men attended training events in order to become prepared for the labor market, with a special focus on civic activism, human rights, development of entrepreneurship and leadership skills. "These young people have shown that effort, work and engagement in the local community are never unnoticed. I believe that their effort and enthusiasm should be supported and rewarded in order for them to continue to provide a positive example for the complete society’’, said Maja Stojanovic, Executive Director at Civic Initiatives.

For more information please contact Višnja Filipović, PR Manager of Civic Initiatives at visnja@gradjanske.org

Information provided by Višnja Filipović, Civic Initiatives