Friday, 03.07.2020.
A new round of support for organizations and institutions in Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro
With the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade, Group 484 continues to provide support and assistance to the most vulnerable groups in Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The following organisations and institutions have found themselves on the path of solidarity, support, and assistance in the second round: Autonomous Women’s Centre, Kolevka Home for Children with Developmental Disabilities, Institute of Oncology and Radiology, Institute of Mental Health, Coalition of Youth Organisations – SEGA, LEGIS Skopje, Growth and Development Skopje, Catalyst Balkans, and the Red Cross North Macedonia. Through new projects, the supported organisations and institutions will continue our joint work to improve access to services and provide humanitarian assistance to those most in need, especially taking into account the situation caused by the spread of COVID-19.
In the upcoming period, the Red Cross of North Macedonia will provide food packages for migrants accommodated in the Transit Centre Tabanovci, as well as at informal gathering places along the border with Serbia. In addition, within the support, workshops will be organised in order to raise awareness of migrants about maintaining hygiene and health care, during which hygiene products will be distributed. In order to raise the level of health care, the Red Cross of North Macedonia will provide health examinations, as well as support in the form of transport to health centres for those who need additional medical care.
Autonomous Women’s Centre, in cooperation with Peščanik and SOS Women’s Centre from Serbia and Centre for Women’s Rights from Montenegro, based on the support we provide through this project, will expand its capacities to provide legal assistance to women who contact their SOS helpline. The support will focus on women whose social rights (such as the right to alimony and social security assistance) in the context of the COVID-19 crisis are particularly vulnerable and enable them to jointly overcome all potential legal concerns and difficulties.
With the assistance of Donacije.rs platform and Catalyst Balkans, assistance and support of Group 484 and the Royal Norwegian Embassy will be expanded and upgraded. Through this platform, all interested individuals, companies, and organisations will have the opportunity to donate funds and thus directly support campaigns and organisations that will then provide humanitarian assistance to people particularly affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. With our support, matching funds will be provided for all these fundraising campaigns.
The Coalition of Youth Organisations – SEGA from Prilep will work on improving the quality of life of children in kindergartens, young Roma men and women, as well as children with disabilities staying in day-care centres, but also elderly social protection beneficiaries in nursing homes. In addition to providing humanitarian assistance and support to all these groups, SEGA will also conduct a campaign to inform youth about the importance of maintaining hygiene and protecting against the spread of COVID-19.
Support for children in North Macedonia will also be provided by the organisation Growth and Development from Skopje, which will have the opportunity to work with boys and girls, aged 10-14. By organising a special online platform and creating physical activity programmes that children of that age can do at home (including ‘challenges’ and later scoring of recorded exercises), the organisation’s representatives will motivate schoolchildren to actively and recreationally engage in sports to eliminate the negative effects of COVID-19 and promote a healthy life. The schools participating in the project will be provided with additional equipment for conducting physical education classes, and all citizens, especially youth, will be able to learn about this topic through an online platform, as well as through brochures and publications.
In the second round of support, we have supported another organisation from North Macedonia, LEGIS Skopje, which will have the opportunity to improve its humanitarian work with asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants, but also Roma and other vulnerable social groups. Through the provision of food packages, hygiene and protective equipment, clothing and footwear, as well as through preventive workshops and procurement of outdoor exercise equipment, representatives of the organisation will contribute to increasing the quality of life and health in reception and transit centres, as well as in settlements with reception centres for migrants and asylum seekers.
Group 484 continues to support institutions whose existing institutional resources need to be improved in order to provide adequate protection and reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19. In this round, Kolevka Home for Children with Developmental Disabilities, the Institute of Oncology and Radiology, and the Institute for Mental Health will be supported through the procurement of sterilisers and other devices and necessary disinfectants and protective equipment, which will ensure the safer provision of social and medical services to employees and beneficiaries, and a safer stay in these institutions.
In the forthcoming period, we will support UNICEF Montenegro in order to protect children, with a special emphasis on children belonging to vulnerable social groups.
In the upcoming period, the supported organisations and institutions will strive to improve the quality of life of all members of society, but with special emphasis on vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again, our gratitude goes to the Royal Norwegian Embassy for recognising the need for support and the quick response to the new crisis.
