Humanitarian Assisance

Humanitarian assistance and emergency response is Philanthropy’s first, basic strategic programmatic area. Philanthropy has been established with the purpose to provide aid to population affected by worsened socio-economic situation in the country, caused by armed conflicts in former Yugoslavia in early 1990s.

Philanthropy has been providing emergency assistance to vulnerable population in Serbian southern province Kosovo in March 2004, during floods in Serbian northern province Vojvodina in 2005, earthquake in Kraljevo in 2010. Serbia has been hit by devastating floods in May 2014, and Philanthropy mobilised all of its capacities to provide assistance to population affected. The assistance was provided in the forms of emergency hygienic kits, dehumidifiers, disinfection material, cleaning and rehabilitation of houses, purchasing furniture, firewood, reconstruction and building of new houses, rehabilitation of livelihood, distribution of fertilisers, seeds and seedlings, green houses, etc. Within this response, Philanthropy introduces cash assistance as humanitarian assistance to affected population for the first time in Serbia.

During its response to disasters caused by floods in May 2014, Philanthropy provided assistance to more than 200.000 persons in 20 municipalities in Serbia and Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Philanthropy implements all its humanitarian programmes in close cooperation with public actors (Ministry of Interior’s Sector for Emergency Response, local municipalities, centres for social work, etc), and in coordination with other CSOs.

Philanthropy has been active in disaster risk reduction as well, organising series of trainings in cooperation with Ministry of Interior’s Sector for Emergency Response, targeting all relevant actors: several sectors in the Ministry of Interior, Srbija sume (public agency for forests management), Srbija vode (public water management agency), Hydro-meteorological Service of Serbia, Institute for Water “Jaroslav Cerni”, local municipalities, etc.

In summer 2015, due to the wars in the Middle East, an influx of people from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, including people from north and Sub-Saharan Africa, started to come to Europe. Upon the call of His Holiness, Patriarch Irinej, Philanthropy, in cooperation with its international partners, initiated large-scale assistance operation and provided needed amounts of food, water, hygienic items, clothing, and cash assistance to refugees and asylum seekers. Working closely with national and local authorities, as well as with the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, Philanthropy continues providing assistance to this population currently residing in public asylum and reception centres in Serbia, as well as in shelters for victims of human trafficking and shelters for accommodation of unaccompanied minors.