VZCZCXRO8499
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0534 1540827
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 020827Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000534 
 
DEPT FOR PRM/JOHNSON 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.  12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM SR
 
SUBJECT: SERBIA: APPLICATION FOR FY 2008 PRM JULIA V. TAFT FUND TO 
ASSIST ELDERLY REFUGEES IN EASTERN SERBIA 
 
REF: STATE:  6779 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) Embassy Belgrade proposes granting $20,000 of the FY 2008 
PRM Julia V. Taft Fund for Refugees to the Kucevo Home for Elderly 
in eastern Serbia to install an elevator.  The project fills a 
critical assistance gap in Serbia and will enable an appropriate 
facility to shelter an additional 30 elderly members of a highly 
vulnerable and underserved refugee population.  Post developed this 
project in consultation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner 
for Refugees (UNHCR) in Serbia.  End summary. 
 
The Institution and Beneficiaries 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) The Home for the Elderly in eastern Serbia's Kucevo 
municipality is the largest converted collective center for refugees 
in the country.  It currently hosts 120 vulnerable senior citizens, 
80 of whom are refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. 
The collective center was converted in 2002 into a home for the 
elderly under the auspices UNHCR, the Ministry for Labor and Social 
Policy, and the Serbian Commissariat for Refugees.  The facility is 
the only one of its kind in Serbia that accommodates and accepts 
elderly refugees from across Serbia.  The municipality (population 
5,000) hosted approximately 700 refugees from Croatia and Bosnia 
during the height of the Balkan conflict.  The center receives 
financial support from the Ministry of Labor, which provides 
salaries for all the employees (including medical staff, social 
workers, cooks, and custodian) and the Serbian Commissioner for 
Refugees, which provides 20,000 RSD to the center for each refugee 
it houses. 
 
¶3.  (U) The home currently houses residents primarily on the first 
two floors of its three-story building.  Only a handful of 
ambulatory residents reside on the third floor, which is only 
reachable by stairs.  The eldest resident is 102 years old. 
 
Project Description 
------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) We propose to install an elevator in the residence. 
Installation of an elevator in this three-story facility would allow 
the home both to accommodate an additional 30 elderly individuals, 
expanding the total resident population to 150, and to improve the 
quality of life of all residents.  In addition to allowing the 
center to accommodate residents on the third floor, an elevator 
would enable residents, including those confined to wheelchairs on 
upper floors, to go outdoors during the day. 
 
¶5.  (U) Post will implement the project through Catholic Relief 
Services (CRS).  CRS has agreed to implement the project without 
charging customary administrative fees.  We hope to use the USG 
funds to leverage contributions from other donors to support this 
institution.  (Note: We have had considerable success with similar 
efforts.  In FY 2007 we applied $12,000 in Ambassador's funding 
toward the purchase of basic household equipment and educational 
materials for a protection facility for children and at-risk 
adolescents in Belgrade.  We successfully leveraged $34,000 in 
additional assistance for the facility from the City of Belgrade, 
Norwegian telecommunications provider Telenor and the Vlade Divac 
Humanitarian Organization.)  In the event that PRM grants less than 
$20,000 and we are unable to raise sufficient external funds to 
implement the project, we will apply the funds toward medical 
supplies for the care and maintenance of residents at the elderly 
home. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6.  (U) This project demonstrates USG commitment to address social 
inclusion of refugees and other vulnerable groups in need of 
protection.  The effort is consistent with post proposals in 
previous funding years.  End Comment. 
 
MUNTER