Donors: German Government through Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and the municipalities of Bujanovac, Gadzin Han, Pirot and Presevo

Budget: I phase- 205.000 EUR

Duration: February 2008 – June 2008

Region: South Serbia - Bujanovac, Gadzin Han, Pirot, Presevo

Description: In February 2008 HELP – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V. continued the realization of the programme “Support to local sustainable development in Serbia through business incubation – poverty reduction”.
Programme is financed by the German Government through the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and the municipalities covered by the programme: Bujanovac, Gadzin Han, Pirot and Presevo.

The programme will be implemented in cooperation with the two local non-governmental organizations EDEAS - Economic Development Association from Bujanovac and ENECA – Economic Expert Community Association from Nis. The I phase of the programme will include in total 56 entrepreneurs from the targeted municipalities: Bujanovac, Gadzin Han, Pirot and Presevo, out of which 14 in each municipality.

The activities supported within the programme in the targeted municipalities will be those envisaged by the municipal Strategies of local sustainable development as priorities. Those activities should contribute to the sustainable development in the whole and should not in any way influence the environment. Special emphasis will be given to the sound business ideas aimed at starting or improving the business activities submitted by the young entrepreneurs and women.
Moreover, all innovative ideas coming from different sectors will also be considered with particular attention. 

Criteria for the selection of the potential clients are economic viability, social vulnerability, the total value of the investment and the professional ability of the candidate.

All projects fulfilling the above mentioned criteria and submitted by the young people, women, unemployed and other vulnerable population will have particular support. Whenever possible and appropriate joint projects will be encouraged.

The approved assistance will be donated exclusively as in kind grants i.e. material / equipment and no cash payments will be approved to the clients. Average value of in kind grant per individual project amounts to 2.000,00 EUR in dinar counter value.  

The clients obligations are:
• to repay 20% of the total value of donated equipment / material
• to donate 15 hours of community service for the local community
• to register its activity prior to equipment / material distribution, or to employ new workers in cases of already registered activity
• to attend the trainings organized by HELP.


Current activities:

Out of 56 clients supported within this phase of the project, 14 in each of the municipalities (Bujanovac, Gadzin Han, Pirot, Presevo) 41,1% (23) are led by women entrepreneurs, while 60,7% (34) of clients are younger then 35. Start-ups are 15 clients (6 agriculture, 5 services and 4 craft activities). Business registration has been done by 39 clients, while two clients have additionally employed three workers, and two are in the process of business registration.

The total of 65 clients attended different business trainings, out of which 14 attended trainings associated to the business registration, marketing, management and business plan. The clients dealing with agriculture activities, 14 of them, attended the trainings focused on the importance of cooperatives development, registration and legal aspects of managing agriculture cooperatives, organization and management, as well as sources of financing for small individual agriculture households and agriculture cooperatives.

39 clients attended vocational tailor made trainings: crops growing, dairy products production and processing, cattle raising, farming, beekeeping to tobacco raising.

At the moment, an organization of monitoring activities is in progress which should be finished until December 1, 2008, followed by detailed monitoring report.

All clients (100%) have finished obligatory 15 hours of community work for the benefit of their local communities in the targeted municipalities through the local communities, public utility enterprises in the schools, kindergartens, Red Cross and churches.

July 2008, Presevo
HELP client

July 2008, Pirot
Equipment delivery