NEWSLETTER No. 3

UZICE

NGO development in Zlatibor Region:

At the initiative of a small number of people, informal associations of citizens started forming in Zlatibor Region in 1996. The first modern non-governmental organisations were formed in Uzice, so that around the middle of 1998 the following organisations were formally registered: Rajski Otoci, Uzice Centre for Children’s Rights and the Civic Reading Room “Libergraf”. Later, non-governmental organisations started their work in other municipalities of Zlatibor Region, first in Pozega and Bajina Basta.

The changes brought about on 5 October were followed by expansion of founding non-governmental organisations with different goals and capacities. Out of all those new organisations, many exist only in registries, but there are also those that work on projects and accomplish their goals. At the initiative of Libergraf and Forca, in 2002  a regional core group of ten organisations was formed, which has realised several joint campaigns.

Up to now, the non-governmental organisations of West Serbia have been mostly active in the domain of public education through seminars, workshops and the media. Great work was done in the pre-election campaign in 2000 for animating as many citizens as possible to vote in the elections, followed by work on helping the poor by distributing humanitarian aid, donating grants to artisans and small-scale businessmen, and work on the improvement of living conditions of refugees in collective centres. Certain organisations, in cooperation with American non-governmental organisations, are working on the improvement of infrastructure in towns and villages.

Contrary to the public opinion, most of the NGOs in Zlatibor Region work in conditions of restricted material resources. In a great number of cases, the organisations’ activists are also the investors, who use their own funds, flats and cars. Most NGOs in this area have inadequate technical and human resources. A small number of NGOs implement long-term projects, so that sustainability for most of them is uncertain.

Zlatibor Region, which also includes part of Sandzak, is in all its characteristics, social and geographical, ideal area for the development of the third sector but most of NGOs in the region have independently realised one project or none, which indicates their strength and size, but also the willingness of donors to finance new NGOs. It is our belief that NGOs from Zlatibor Region should work on building as strong as possible social and economic connections among people of different religions and national affiliation, in order to prevent new  radicalism. This would help form stronger and more developed NGOs and the mission of the entire sector would be accomplished, which is the civil society.

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