Serbia
CRS helped Zora Brankovic generate a business plan, become self-sufficient and sell flowers to local and foreign markets. Photo courtesy of Dino Mujanovic
Serbia is one of transitioning countries created after the break up of former Yugoslavia with the highest number of refugees in Europe. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports around 230,000 refugees in Serbia, and 97,000 of them are in need of assistance to return and stay in their homes or to integrate into Serbian society. About 700,000 people in Serbia are living below the poverty line, with a monthly income of less than $100 and the official unemployment rate was 22.4 percent at the end of 2012. There continue to be tensions with Kosovo and the Albanian minority in the south of the country—one the most dangerous flashpoints in Europe.
Stats
| Population: | 7,276,604 (July 2012 est.) |
| Size: | 29,913 sq. mi; slightly smaller than South Carolina |
| People Served: | 44,927 |
History
Catholic Relief Services came to Serbia to respond to the needs of vulnerable refugees, displaced people, victims of gender-based violence, ethnic minorities, children and people with disabilities who were neglected after the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the nineties. CRS has partnered with more than 20 local organizations to provide assistance to marginalized groups and influence governments to establish the System of Personal Assistance to People with Disabilities and the Poverty Reduction Strategy.
Since 2004, CRS and our partners assisted more than 22,000 refugees and displaced persons with legal aid and more than 1,300 with income generation grants.