On Friday, September 29, 2023, in Kruševac, the signing of contracts with employers from Kruševac and the Initiative for Development and Cooperation (IDC) organization took place as part of the project “Reintegrate II – further support for sustainable (re)integration of returnees in Serbia.”
Employers were selected for the program to support business growth and development through the allocation of equipment, machinery, and tools worth up to 3,750 euros per newly employed beneficiary, following public calls. In return for this support, employers are obligated to hire beneficiaries of the project who come from more challenging employment categories.
In Kruševac, five employers have been supported thus far, and 16 project beneficiaries will be employed.
In addition to economic support, the project also includes inclusive workshops for children and youth in Kruševac. During these workshops, participants have the opportunity to expand their interests and gain new knowledge in areas such as first aid, visual arts, creative skills, digital literacy, and other subjects designed to support the school curriculum. So far, more than 200 children and youth have attended 67 workshops, and the Kruševac Good Neighbor Club, where these workshops are held, has been established.
Reintegrate II is primarily focused on the returning population and the locally vulnerable residents. It is implemented through business training and counseling, equipment grants for starting one’s own business, professional educational training (retraining and upskilling), fostering collaboration with companies to create new job opportunities for project beneficiaries, as well as psychosocial support through counseling and workshops for children, youth, and other community members. Training and capacity building for local social welfare actors are planned, as well as grants for partner projects within local government and civil society organizations.
The goal of supporting employers is to strengthen their business capabilities, expand their operations, and create employment opportunities for new project beneficiaries through additional equipment. The key objective of the project is to contribute to the sustainable (re)integration of returnees and locally vulnerable populations in central and southern Serbia. The signing of contracts with employers will be attended by representatives of the City Administration of Kruševac, as well as the organizations ASB and IDC.
The project will encompass over 450 returnees and locally vulnerable residents who will utilize the capacities created through the project (professional skills, newly opened or expanded businesses, psychosocial skills, improved social services) to strengthen their economic and social standing and enhance their integration into the community. The Kruševac Good Neighbor Club has been established, and there are plans to organize more than 100 inclusive workshops, provide support for starting one’s own business, as well as support for existing businesses.
A representative from ASB in Cologne, Mr. Sava Pantelić (coordinator of ASB activities in Southeastern Europe), together with the project team, visited the inclusive workshops within the project and participated in the “Assertive Communication” workshop.
The defined start date of the project is February 1, 2023, and the end date of project activities is April 30, 2024. The total project value is 145,300.00 euros.
The project is led by the German organization ASB (Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund), with the implementation partner being the Initiative for Development and Cooperation (IDC) from Belgrade. The project’s beneficiary regions are the Pirot, Raška, and Rasina districts. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the City Administration of Kruševac.