Poverty in Serbia
THE SOCIAL CONTEXT
More than 20% of Serbian population is touched by poverty. Over 700.000 of our population lives below the border of poverty, out of which only 25 % are receiving social aid (the amount being 5,505.00 RSD for a single household and 11,016.00 RSD for a five and more member household), while the others are receiving this aid periodically or not at all (because of the limited State budget). Most vulnerable groups are children under 13 and elderly people, 65 years of age and older. Around 450,000 children are striken by poverty in some way, among which some 150,000 are directly affected, meaning - undernourished. 10.5% of elderly people over 65 years of age live below the poverty border. Number of unemployed people striken by poverty shows significant growht, up to 19.3%. Hunger is the hardest aspect of poverty.
Food has direct impact on the psycho-physical capabilities of a man, and therefore a long-time malnutrition may result in serious consequences to the human health (various psychosomatic illnesses etc.). Many projects are focused on education, personal development, inclusion etc., but without a solid base it is not possible to build on. There are still a lot of people in Serbia that are simply too weakened - either physically or psychologically, to engage in any of the social activities. These people need our urgent help on daily basis. Food is of vital importance for every individual. Food is the universal good that everyone is entitled to - as necessary as the air we breathe. FOOD IS LIFE!
Who do We Help
Our Target Group
The poverty-stricken population in Serbia are mostly people with low level of education, unemployed people fit for work, rural population, children, elderly, persons with disabilities, displaced persons and refugees, families with women as breadwinners, Roma population and so on. The population is poorer in Central and Southeast Serbia than in Vojvodina, and it is poorer in villages than in towns.
Companies - donors help by sending their donations to social welfare institutions (children and youth homes, soup kitchens etc.), which receive regular but insufficient funding from the state budget. Occasionally they also help out various associations (disabled, single mothers, etc). Local authorities also assist citizens' associations in their municipalities within their possibilities.
However, other organisations rarely donate the food to individuals, or more specifically, to the members of households - the destitute registered at the centres for social work. These citizens are in much worse position than those who are institutionalised because they are far from the eyes of the public - on the social margins. These are the families that live below the poverty line and who need help the most (beneficiaries of Financially supported families program). In other words, it is much simpler for companies - donors to donate to institutions and associations than to individuals since that requires more complex organisation of work. Therefore, the primary focus of the Food Bank, when it comes to food-relief, are those person registered at the centres for social work.
Distributors and Beneficiaries
Our Results
Since March 2007, Food Bank Belgrade launched 89 actions, collected 93 tons of food (oil, sugar, flour, rice, beans, soups, pastas, marmalade, cookies, canned tuna, sardine etc.) and 114.000 lit. of juice, and distributed to 12,800 people in need, coming from different social categories, through social institutions and/or organizations from the civic sector that provide help to the most vulnerable population.
WE HELPED:
Children sheltered by...
- Special Institute for children and youth „Dr Nikola Šumenković" in Stamnica (465)
- Home for children and youth with mental development problems in Sremčica (320)
- Home for children and youth „Jovan Jovanović Zmaj" in Voždovac (400)
- Children center "Vlaški Romi" in Zvezdara
Beneficiaries of...
- Soup kitchen in Ruma (260)
- Soup kitchen in Smederevo (600)
- Soup kitchen in Savski venac (105)
Through the following organizations...
- Commissariats for refugees and Red Cross, displaced persons in CCs in
- Resnik (87 families), Banjica (31 families), Vidikovac (22) and Miljakovac (17)
- Association of single parents and other associations in Niš (511 beneficiaries)
- Roma municipality association in Šabac, 98 Roma families
- Association of war disabled persons in Kosjerić, 26 households
- Women association «Knjeginja Milica» in Kragujevac, 60 pensioners
- Centers for social work (CSW) in the municipalities Palilula and Voždovac, very poor families.
- CSW and Safe House in Užice: displaced families living in collective center in and around Užice (90)
- NGO "Family care", families (56)
- NGO "Lastavica", elderly people in Surčin (110)
- NGO „Kolo srpskih sestara" in Čačak (70)
- Local communities of the Municipalities of Uljme and Kozjak, extremely poor families with many children
- Center for integration of youth „Svratiste", homeless children (35)
