This EU-funded EUR 3,5 million project aims to contribute to the strengthening of partnerships between municipalities, community based social care providers and civil organisations, in order to secure sustainable enhancement of the social and economic positions of refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs).
On Thursday, February 24, 2011 in Belgrade the project was officially launched including presentation of a grant scheme allocation plan worth EUR 2,6 million for at least 20 municipal projects in the area of social inclusion.
The ceremony was opened by H.E. Mr Vincent Degert, Head of EU Delegation to Serbia, Zoran Martinovic, State Secretary in the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, and Vladimir Cucic, Commissioner for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia. Total of 160 people – Mayors and senior local government representatives, representatives of the local centers for social work, social care providers and civil society organizations – participated at the grant scheme allocation presentation.
During the ceremony, the terms of the Call for Proposals were presented, as well as instructions regarding documentation and technical conditions. The Call for Proposals was published on February 21 on the web pages of Delegation of the European Union to Serbia and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. The projects that will be financed by this Call, include development and provision of social inclusion services, such as home care services, centers for family support, day care centers and living needs support for people with disabilities. Potential applicants have 90 days at their disposal to submit the proposals, after which a team of independent experts will select the best projects. Contract signing for the awarding of grants and implementation of projects is expected in the autumn.
The Project will also provide a comprehensive training programme for refugees and IDPs in the area of provision of social inclusion services, thus enabling them to provide particular services from that area. It is also expected that during municipal projects implementation, as well as after the training programme completion, a significant number of individual refugees and IDPs will find employment as social inclusion services providers.
For more details about this project please contact EPTISA’s Project Manager, Mr. Sinisa Bralic at: sbralic@eptisa.com
You can see below the photo gallery from the opening ceremony.
