NEWSLETTER No. 4

POZEGA

Review of situation in NGO sector in Pozega, Arilje, Lucani, Ivanjica and Kosjeric Municipalities

The level of development of the civil society and citizens’ awareness in the West Serbia Region, explicitly reflected in the number of non-governmental organisations, their (in)activity, (non-)transparency in work and their image both in their local communities and wider territory, point to the necessity for all interested social actors to make increased efforts with a view to revitalizing and making the system of values compatible with the civil society principles. Although lately there has been more and more talk on the work of non-governmental organisations (and more and more often in the positive context) so that the impression is now that there is too much talk on the matter, the need for continuous, consistent and intensive work on demystifying the non-governmental sector and promoting the idea of the involved citizen, aware of his role in the society, has never been greater. The mentality of the Serbian citizens, who are, owing to a years-long repressive practice, used to being humble and passive before the state institutions, to quietly accepting the usual patterns of behaviour ("because there is nothing else one can do") and to patiently expecting the state agencies to solve their accrued problems, is difficult to change in a short time. Informing the citizens and making them used to the idea that there are ways in which they can solve their problems themselves because they know them best, that they gain the power to improve their situation through the knowledge on their own rights and liabilities, taking the initiative and learning new procedures of behaviour offered to us by developed countries of the West, represent the main tasks of the so called “third sector”, along with changing the attitudes and professionalizing of the very NGO members as "civil society protagonists".

FORCA’s topical issues:

• PROMOTION OF PLURALISM BY STRENGTHENING NGOs AND THE CIVIL SOCIETY IN SERBIA – Within this project, FORCA realised a TV and radio broadcast on 20 Nov. 2002, titled "Role, importance and models of financing NGOs" with Miljenko Dereta, Executive Director of the NGO "Civic Initiatives" as guest. He spoke of the concept and role of non-governmental organisations, work methods and models of financing NGOs in our country and the world and he promoted the idea of the citizens’ involvement, with a view to breaking prejudices and delusions on non-governmental organisations and developing the citizens’ awareness on the importance of active participation in social events.

• The second awareness meeting, titled “Prevention of addictions”, with the psychologist Slobodan Brkic as moderator, who is also President of the NGO Centre of Creative Gathering and member of Arilje Commission for Prevention of Addictions, was held on 19 Nov. 2002. The topic was chosen due to its urgency and importance and the meeting was attended by members of institutions and organisations relevant to this problem (schools, Social Welfare Centres, health clinics, non-governmental organisations) and interested citizens from  Pozega, Arilje, Ivanjica and Lucani. Apart from talking about the necessity of taking initiative and possibilities of creating an effective programme for preventing addictions on the local level, as well as the presentation of a specific prevention programme, which has been realised in Arilje for three years now by the Commission for Prevention of Addictions and the NGO Centre of Creative Gathering, titled "Arilje school of healthy living", the result of the meeting is also the agreement on a concrete action/campaign, to be realised by FORCA in cooperation with the Pozega police.

• CIVIL ACTION IN THE VILLAGE – The first phase of this project, financially supported by the Delegation of EUROPEAN COMMISSION in Belgrade, is coming close to an end: after a series of meetings with the local residents of seven villages of Pozega Municipality and voluntary work of FORCA activists in each of these villages, two representatives from each village will, at the last weekend of December, undergo a training for writing projects and fundraising, with a view to enabling the local rural population to communicate with the donors and the profit sector. The difficult economic situation our country is in, ruined infrastructure and the impossibility to earn money have led to the situation that the young are leaving the village, because they do not see any perspective there for themselves, and going to towns, where they also have difficulties in finding jobs. This is how the number of the unemployed and “black market” workers in the town is rising, and agriculture land remains uncultivated because the rural population is getting older and poorer. At the same time, the presence of foreign donors, ready to help the revitalization of agiculture production through loans and donations, is a great potential both for employment and revitalization and reconstruction of the rural area. All it takes is simply changing attitudes, taking initiatives and learning how to act in the new conditions. The main purpose of this project is, therefore, to educate the village population to manage in the conditions of  social and economic transition through promoting alternative work models, the culture of dialogue, tolerance and equality between the genders and inciting associating and cooperation among the residents in solving common problems. 

• PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME – In cooperation with the NGO "Sretenje" from Pozega, FORCA has, in the last two months, realised the "Public works programme". In six communities in the territory of Pozega and Arilje, actions/projects of cleaning, refurbishing and reconstruction of public area were realised (school yards, training area, parks, river banks, ...) with 500 citizens engaged. This programme aimed at mobilising as many citizens as possible to participate in activities for common good, so that through the solving of a concrete problem, i.e., refurbishment, repairs and reconstruction of public area, we could influence the citizens’ awareness of the advantages of personal engagement. 

• The CORE group – In February 2002 FORCA formed a regional network titled the "CORE group", along with 10 other NGOs from Zlatibor and Sandzak Regions. Financially supported by the American organisation Freedom House, FORCA will be realising a project, during Dec. 2002 and  Jan/Feb. 2003,  aimed at the education of the CORE group members on the principles of the third sector functioning so that they could successfully and competently work on the civil society development and the realisation of concrete projects, capacity building of the organisations-members of the CORE group and their affirmation in the local communities they come from.