NEWSLETTER No. 3

KUCEVO

Activities in the region and activities of our organisation:

Unless you like total silence, or we might even say,  monotony, avoid small towns in autumn. At this time, small towns seem to be preparing for winter sleep. Somehow they are too quiet, peaceful and some would say, boring. The moment it starts getting dark, wet streets become awkwardly silent, so that every, only a bit louder sound spreads from one to the other side of town with incredible easiness. Probably because of the silence.

Lethargy called “autumn-winter” is slowly setting in in Kucevo these days. We are all somehow tired, somehow fed up, and maybe too lazy to go out for a walk and see somebody or visit a cultural or similar event. Add up the rainy 10 October, the day when the project “Promotion of pluralism....” officially opened in our town and there is the reason for a relatively small audience at the forum “NGO – What is it”, held at the small hall of Kucevo Culture Centre. In order to understand this kind of towns, especially in the upcoming period, you must also live here. We love our town, whether it is awake and cheerful, or tired and drowsy. 

However, only 30 people present in the hall did not make us hesitate. A lot has always been spoken in Serbia, and a little has been said, especially in the last ten years. Our story found its way to 30 souls that evening and passed the information that the implementaton of our project had begun and the people from the first round table (hopefully) left with their own opinion of what non-governmental organisations were and what they did or could do. Our goal was not to impose views, but for everyone to form their own opinion, whether it was good or bad. However vague it might sound, that is the basis of pluralism. Radmila Radovic from European Perspective presented the project to the attendants, as well as its elementary content and way of its implementation, and she also took part in the discussion, by stating in a specific and straightforward way how NGOs operated and what they were and first of all, how they raised funds for their work. Zoran Markovic from the Centre for the Development of Non-Profit Sector and Aleksandar Bratkovic from CESID, presented their NGOs, talked about NGO experiences from our surroundings, relation between non-governmental and governmental, trying to present the third sector to the attendants in all its variety. One of the key moments referred to the issue of financing NGOs. In places like Kucevo, this is a very important issue, considering the current prejudices, which originate from earlier prejudices, deftly devised in the past years, mainly through the media. 

In relation to the above, this forum was well covered by the media. It was recorded in its entirety for PEK radio from Kucevo and TV Duga from Pozarevac and used for a radio and a TV broadcast with the same topic, “NGO – What is it”. The radio and the TV broadcasts in the mentioned media were especially interesting  due to thier guests at the studio – members of Kucevo Enthusiasts, who simplified the extensive story, presenting their activities so far and talking about the relationship between the local surroundings and this very NGO and about how much this attitude had changed (or not). It was the wish of PEK radio to include the listeners and their questions into the broadcast. It was interesting that there were not any, except for one “What do we need NGOs for, what do we need the Enthusiasts for”. The answer was apparently simple “Because we need something like that”, and it was explained by the NGO members by listing numerous activities that had brought well-being to the local community and by inviting people to get organised themselves into similar NGOs, so that they could perhaps solve some of their problems. 

Our NGO, as is probably the case with all the 12 participants in the project, has made this project’s activities its priority, but has also continued with the commenced activities. In cooperation with CESID, it participated in monitoring the presidential election (both rounds), as well as in the campaign “13 is your lucky number”, which it devised itself and through posters, flyers and radio jingles invited the citizens to vote in the election run-off. The run-off failed, but in the largest Kucevo constituency, where the campaign was the most intensive, the number of voters exceeded 50%. It pays to be persistent.

In the last days of October our work was awarded a recognition by His Holiness, Ignatije, the Bishop of Branicevo, which was the first time that the Kucevo Enthusiasts have received commendation (award) by an official institution. We are glad that it came from the Serbian Orthodox Church. Owing primarily to the humanitarian work aimed at the youngest as target group and efforts to clear up the children’s playground in the Kucevo churchyard (the first children’s playground in our town), we received the recognition. Let’s be honest, in a few years it might be forgotten who built the playground, but children will still have a nice and safe place to play at.

It is October, the beginning of a rainy season, says one of Zdravko Colic’s songs. Our town is lazily spending its cloudy –sombre – rainy days. Perhaps everything is too quiet and autumn-like, except for us. Enthusiasm still does not recognize seasons of the year.

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