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Philanthropy organised students' internship for final-year students of the Faculty of Political Sciences and the Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation of the University of Belgrade, from 11-15 July 2022. Students got acquainted with Philanthropy's practical work and its employees, got in touch with external associates and beneficiaries. Philanthropy is very happy for again having the opportunity to meet, socialize and participate in the professional training of new generation of social workers and special pedagogues.

As part of the project "ACT NOW against youth marginalisation in Serbia in times of COVID-19", Philanthropy organises educational cycles for young women and men living in informal Roma settlements, as well as for young women and men living in rural areas in Kraljevo. At the aforementioned gatherings, participants have the opportunity to discuss with their peers the topics in the area of life-long education, health, social protection, peer and gender-based violence, and jointly recognize opportunities for their more active involvement in youth communities, locally and on national level. Within this project, Philanthropy develops various modalities of cooperation with young people and creates youth development platforms. The project is implemented in cooperation with the Diakonie ACT Austria, supported by the Austrian Development Cooperation.

Philanthropy has been organizing activities to support health care, social care and support for the elderly population in the territory of the municipality of Ruma, in the villages of Klenak, Hrtkovci and Buđanovci. During the last month, number of social gatherings for older persons, computer courses for the older persons, as well as excursions were organized. Older persons visited Soko grad near Ljubovija, Tršić and the natural beauty of the Drina river. All these activities are part of the project „ASSIST – Action to Strengthen Solidarity in Serbia and Moldova in Times of COVID 19 to Protect Older People’s Health and Wellbeing“, implemented in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection of the Republic of Austria and the organisation Brot für die Welt.

  In the previous period, Philanthropy has taken part in several national events concerning the accessibility of the right to social and health protection of youth, other vulnerable categories, including people living with HIV / AIDS: - On 26 May 2022, CSO Regeneration and the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia organised the final event on the occasion of the project "Let's Talk about Drugs - New Methods of Communication with Youth". Representatives of Philanthropy and other participants were introduced to the results of quantitative and qualitative regional research on youth education on drugs, as well as guidelines and recommendations for the adaptation of the educational principles and treatment on this topic. The short film “Teach Me” was premiered, which brought the audience closer to the voice of young people, their attitudes and needs when it comes to learning about drugs. - On 10 June 2022, representatives of Philanthropy participated in the 42nd Meetings of Social Workers, discussing "From Isolation to Encounters - Challenges of Social Work in Emergencies and Crisis Situations", organized by the Faculty of Political Sciences, Department of Social Work. In the plenary part, the film "Why I Love Social Work" was broadcasted and the results of the research of the faculty students on media reporting during the pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus were presented. In a group discussion, practitioners shared their experiences of challenges and examples of good practice from the social protection system affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the panel lecture presented mentoring as the safest support for good professional practice. A number of professionals and associates attended the conference live and online. This was an excellent opportunity to meet again and exchange experiences of practitioners in the field of social protection, coming both from the public sector and from the civil society sector. - Round table on "The Future of Serbia in the Fight against HIV / AIDS - Access and Treatment of Patients with HIV Infection - Non-detectable - Non-transmissible" was held on 24 June 2022, organized by USOP (Union of Serbian PLHIV organisation) with its members, support by the Ministry of Health of the Government of Serbia, the Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria from Geneva and the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, attended by people living with HIV, a number of selected doctors from Belgrade health centers, epidemiologists, infectologists and PLHIV representatives. The challenges faced by people living with HIV / AIDS in Serbia and ways to improve services in the health and social care sector were discussed.  

  Within the project "Project for Increasing Resilience to Natural Disasters and Enhancing Preparedness Strategy (PREPS) in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia", Philanthropy provided a small grant and supported the action of the City of Kraljevo dedicated to improvement of critical infrastructure, during which a series of DRR prevention activities were conducted. Kraljevo is one of the eight cities and municipalities in Serbia where PREPS project is being implemented, being the community with high risk of natural disasters. In addition to Serbia, PREPS project is being implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in communities facing an increased risk of natural disasters, while not having adequate DRR capacities. The project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and implemented by CRS (Catholic Relief Services) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and by Philanthropy and Caritas Serbia in Serbia.   http://civilnazastitakraljevo.rs/akcija-unapredjenja-stanja-kriticne-infrastrukture/?fbclid=IwAR1HqqZW9xlGlGP5tI76SZIKNIiCix1nOA-tLAdQySx18dDgtMVsvg5symg 

During the last week of April 2022, Philanthropy distributed emergency assistance to elderly people living in rural areas in Kragujevac, Kraljevo and Ruma. 600 elderly people and their families received food and WASH kits, thus compensating for their own needs that arose as a result of the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Food and WASH kits were provided through the project „ASSIST – Action to Strengthen Solidarity in Serbia and Moldova in Times of COVID 19 to Protect Older People’s Health and Wellbeing“, implemented in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection of the Republic of Austria and the organisation Brot für die Welt.

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Philanthropy organised training for the improvement of women's businesses in rural areas of the municipality of Lucani. The training is part of the project “CONEX Balkan: Covid-19 Nexus response for improving the socio-economic situation of marginalized people in 6 Western Balkan countries”, Philanthropy, in cooperation with Diakonia ACT Austria, supported by the Austrian Development Agency, implements in the cities of Kragujevac and Kraljevo and the municipality of Lucani. Besides Diakonie and Philanthropy, project partners are also Caritas Austria, Red Cross Austria, KHCS Mother Teresa, Budućnost, NEXUS – Vranje, Otaharin, AGROPLAN, EKO-BUDUĆNOST. As part of the project, same type of trainings will be implemented in Kragujevac and Kraljevo, supporting women from rural areas.During the training, women living and working in rural areas in the municipality of Lucani had the opportunity to get acquainted with self-employment programs, discuss business plans, active job searching, as well as motivation and personal competencies for employment and self-employment. The project will award small grants to the most successful women entrepreneurs.

Philanthropy proceeds with providing local health care services in rural communities in Kragujevac, Kraljevo and Ruma. As part of the project „ASSIST – Action to Strengthen Solidarity in Serbia and Moldova in Times of COVID 19 to Protect Older People’s Health and Wellbeing“, these services are available for elderly people who are examined by GPs, psychiatrists, ophthalmologists and dentists. Elderly people conduct general medical check-ups, including blood pressure, glucose level, dioptric examination, teeth examination. They also receive consultations regarding their chronical medical conditions and preservation of mental health. The project „ASSIST – Action to Strengthen Solidarity in Serbia and Moldova in Times of COVID 19 to Protect Older People’s Health and Wellbeing“ is implemented in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection of the Republic of Austria and the organisation Brot für die Welt. This initiative was highly appreciated by beneficiaries, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic time, when access to health care services is additionally burdened. These mobile doctors’ visits will be conducted every six months in 13 villages in above mentioned municipalities.

As part of the project "Project for Increasing Resilience to Natural Disasters and Enhancing Preparedness Strategy (PREPS)", which is being implemented in 14 municipalities and cities in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Philanthropy supported equipping Civil Protection Unit in the municipality of Lucani. In addition, Philanthropy provided small grants for mmunicipalities Krupanj and Mionica, and the city of Kraljevo. The total value of small grants is 40.000 USD. The project is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and is implemented by CRS (Catholic Relief Services) in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Philanthropy and Caritas Serbia in Serbia.