Belgrade, December 2011
Snow White and the seven dwarfs for Children from Kraljevo

German Embassy donated tickets to children from Kraljevo who have attended the performance of the fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the Bosko Buha Theater on December 12th in Belgrade.

Beside little ones from Kraljevo, the city hit by the earthquake on October 3rd, 2010, theater performance attended children without parental care as well. Given the circumstances these groups of children live in, the forthcoming Christmas and New Years’ holidays have been enriched not only with the performance of the Brothers’ Grimm fairy tale but with the voyage from Kraljevo to Belgrade as well, making it a joyful experience for kids.

All children were welcomed and wished happy holidays in the theater by the German Ambassador HE Wolfram Maas and HRH Princess Katarina Karadjordjevic.
HRH Princess Katarina used the opportunity to invite children to the traditional Christmas reception in Beli Dvor residence. Both, the Ambassador and the Princess watched the fairy tale performance together with children.  At the end of the show they shared Christmas cookies to children. 

The voyage of forty children of five and six years, from the preschool Pcelica (the Bee) Kraljevo, was organized by the German non-governmental organization HELP-Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V.

HELP has been active in Serbia for twelve years in a various humanitarian and developmental projects funded by the German government and other donors. Being constantly on the field HELP Office Staff in Kraljevo has a clear insight about this unstable area situation development providing assistance for vulnerable population.

 

Nis, December 2011
Fifteen hours of community service for the local community in Delijski vis settlement

Nis entrepreneurs supported within HELP project performed their share of commitment to the local community in a weekend action on December 3rd and 4th in Delijski vis settlement.

In cooperation with the Nis Municipality Palilula, HELP and forty clients realized the idea of cleaning part of Delijski vis settlement making possible for the citizens of this area to have clean and safe green area in their neighborhood.
 
Joint work invested into the welfare of the local community shows the new generation of entrepreneurs and the level of social responsibility as well as their awareness how important it is to preserve the existing resources since only the safe environment can ensure sustainable development. This positive example supports the efforts of Nis Municipality Palilula to keep the environment safe and clean for all.
Members of the Volunteer Center joined this action and participated as well as the representatives of Palilula Municipality.
However, the most interesting support was given by the seven years old Strahinja who was delighted to have his “little forest safe for the play with his friends”

In developmental projects implemented in Serbia HELP so far supported 3896 clients. They have donated 48.700 hours, i.e.  2029 days of community service for the benefit of their fellow citizens doing repairs in schools, homes for children or elderly, and other public institutions and infrastructure objects and locations.

Belgrade, December 2011
Business Base 2011 – First hand solution

As every year, HELP took part at the Business Base International Fair of Entrepreneurship and SMEs within the NARD presentation in Belgrade, enabling its supported clients to be presented at the Fair.
One of the clients who had a chance to participate and present its activity to the public on this occasion was the first interactive internet radio
http://volimradio.rs/pregled/naziv/33-Volimradiors-na-Biznis-Bazi-2011/  

This year’s International Fair of Entrepreneurship and SMEs Business Base, was held under the motto First hand solution, focusing on the female entrepreneurship development.
At the three day fair participated three hundred exhibitors, representatives of SMEs and entrepreneurs, but also public and government institutions presenting programmes and concepts of support for creation of favorable business climate for SME development.
Additional programme with seminars and presentations, was enriched with very interesting B2B – business to business – meetings organized by the European Entrepreneurship Network and National Agency for Regional Development.
At the fair participated Serbian SMEs, international donor programs, as well as companies and organizations from Germany, Montenegro, BiH, Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia.

How it was at the Fair and whom volimradio.rs talked to can be heard at the following link: 
http://volimradio.rs/snimak/naslov/4891-Reportaza-Volimradiors-i-HELP-na-Biznis-Bazi/

Nis, November 2011
Members of the Association of fruit and vine producers CEGAR received cooling chamber of up to 25t capacity and  machines worth 15000 EUR

Within the cooperative development component of the project “Poverty reduction through support to local sustainable development” organization HELP delivered equipment worth 15000 EUR to the Association CEGAR. The equipment consists of cooling chamber 25t capacity for storage of fruits and vegetables, as well as fruit machinery – grinders, sprayers, mixers, pumps and filters.

Although placed in Gabrovac in the household of Sladjana Milic, this cold storage will be available to other members of the Association as well. The association has thirty six members - vegetable and fruit producers. Having the cooling chamber the producers will have a chance to get the right price for their fruit at the market (plum, cherry, apricot, strawberry and apple). Apple can be stored for up to six months, apricot and plum up to a month, and strawberry one week.
The machinery granted is also available to all members.

In the household of Sladjana Milic nobody is employed, and for many years all members live only from fruit production. In this area at the 330 altitude the climate best suits to cultivation of plum. Sladjana cultivates the apricot on 34 acres, and plum on two hectares bus plans to increase the number of plum trees on three hectares of land.

Sladjana and other nine members of the Association already attended business training in marketing but will also attend the agriculture training on plant protection in fruit growing.
The Association has been officially registered and all the members have registered their farms according to Serbian legislation. Their share of community service the members will perform for the benefit of disabled Dystrophy Association members.

Agriculture household of the Association members’ are dispersed in Nis Municipalities of Palilula and Pantelej who in cooperation with the Administration for agriculture and rural development of the City of Nis through their own programmes and funds are trying to encourage and develop the work of agriculture associations and cooperatives.

Cooperative development component aims at establishment of agriculture and other producers’ cooperatives/ associations by combining the available resources and enabling efficient market placement and branding of their products, as well as increasing the cooperative member’s income.

October 2011

Smederevo, Sremska Mitrovica, October, 2011
More keys delivered in Smederevo and Sremska Mitrovica

Three more prefabricated houses in Sremska Mitrovica and five in Smederevo got their tenants last week within the project “Support to Refugees and IDPs in Serbia“.
Delegation of the EU to Serbia representatives, and those of the Commissariat for Refugees of RS and organizations of HELP and UNHCR, and the City of Smederevo, visited some of the beneficiaries after the ceremonial delivery of the keys to the prefabricated houses.  
They paid a visit to the beneficiaries of the prefabricated houses and beneficiaries of donation in construction material as well as one income generation activity client. Since, in addition to the construction material for reconstruction of the residential buildings, through the income generation activity the beneficiaries were enabled to start their own business by receiving the in kind grant.   
In Sremska Mitrovica, three refugee families started living in the prefabricated houses, while earlier in the project another forty three families got the construction material for reconstruction.
The Mayor of Sremska Mitrovica Mr. Branislav Nedimovic, Regional Representative of HELP Mr. Timo Stegelmann, and the Head of Personnel Department to the Commissariat for Refugees Mr. Vladan Hadzic visited Dragan Bojic’ family who got the prefabricated house, families of Ljubisa Pavlovic and Slavko Konstantivnovic, provided for with the construction material.
Project in Smederevo, Sremska Mitrovica, Kraljevo and Kragujevac was financed by the EU from the pre-accession funds in the amount of 968.543,52 EUR and supported by the Ministry for labour social policy RS and the targeted cities and municipalities. The beneficiary institution of this project is the Commissariat for Refugees of RS.

 

September 2011

Bujanovac, September 2011.
Vocational trainings for farmers

Within cooperation between HELP and USAID, there is currently ongoing process of vocational trainings financed by USAID, in Bujanovac area for HELP clients supported within the project “Poverty reduction through support to local sustainable development in the South Serbia” 
Training provider Agrozem, Nisava District Agricultural Advisory Service, delivers part of the training meant for agro producers in the form of practical and interactive workshops, directly in the field guided through the process practically. Agro-producers have been divided in groups per dominant production thus having the largest group of cattle breeders. Subjects like cow housing, cow nutrition, housing and nutrition influence on calving etc., were elaborated in practice on the farms of HELP clients in Veliki Trnovac, and other villages as well. Farmers are satisfied with the group trainings and actively participate in vivid discussions and subjects elaborated.

Trainings for HELP clients in the South

 

Vranje, South Serbia
September, 2011

Six young entrepreneurs from Bujanovac, Presevo and Vranje signed individual grant contracts for equipment worth 3000 US Dollars each for starting agriculture, crafts and service businesses.
Addressing the audience Mr. Boban Stankovic, Mayor’s Assistant stressed importance of contribution young people invest in the economic development when starting businesses.
Mr. Michael Pillsbury, the Program Director of USAID’s Preparedness, Planning and Economic Security (PPES) program, emphasized that by the programs like this one a significant efforts are endowed to the unemployment rate reduction, which is especially high in the South Serbia – 43%, almost double of the national average (22%)
Before he signed the contracts with the awarded clients, Mr. Timo Stegelmann, HELP Regional Representative for the SEE expressed satisfaction on cooperation amongst two partner programs with the municipalities of Bujanovac and Presevo as well as the City of Vranje. He added that HELP has so far realized five project cycles in total supporting 543 clients in Pcinja district.

This project is an outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the HELP, USAID, Bujanovac, Presevo and Vranje earlier in March this year.
 
The joint effort - involving the municipalities, USAID and HELP – is aimed at reducing youth unemployment and their turning into a driving force for economic recovery in their communities.

A group of 157 young entrepreneurs, from the project “Poverty reduction through the local economic development in the South Serbia” in addition to the in-kind grants donated by HELP and co-financed by the municipalities attended business-training seminars sponsored by the USAID. Classes covered a range of topics necessary to the start-ups: entrepreneurship, business plans, finance, management and marketing, including communications and public relations.

Cycle of vocational trainings envisaged by the same MoU for 60 clients is ongoing. Vranje, September 2011
Grant contracts signing