New funding from the European Union will allow IOM to identify and
provide adequate housing and livelihood support to vulnerable
refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in
collective centres or with host families.

As part of this 15-month project, a 12-unit apartment building
will be built in the northern Indija municipality and
pre-fabricated houses will be made available to refugee families
living in the Pecinci, Kladovo and Krusevac municipalities.

IOM will also set up income-generating activities for vulnerable
individuals in the southern Nis municipality, which has one of the
largest displaced populations in the country. IOM will also work
with its local NGO partner ENECA to provide beneficiaries with
information, counselling and referral services (ICRS) to help them
access vocational and business training and micro grants.

The grants, of an amount of up to 1500 Euros, are allocated for
the creation or expansion of small and medium sized enterprise and
are awarded on the basis of social and economic criteria as well as
the economic viability of proposed projects.  

Up to 307,000 refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
remain in Serbia today, the highest combined figure in Europe. Most
live in private accommodation, but some 5,000,  including a
significant number of vulnerable people and minority groups, such
as the Roma, remain in 60 collective centres.

For more information, contact:

Jovana Gusic

IOM Belgrade

Tel: + 381 63 214 254

E-mail: "mailto:jgusic@iom.int">jgusic@iom.int