SOS Children in Serbia and Montenegro
The union of Serbia and Montenegro was voted into existence by the Yugoslav parliament in February 2003 and Yugoslavia formally ceased to exist. In 2006 Serbia and Montenegro agreed to separate.
Years of conflict and international isolation have left the government with huge challenges in coping with its social caseload. Household poverty has been increasing and family support systems have been under extreme pressure.
SOS Children’s Villages began working in the former Yugoslavia in 1975 when an SOS Children’s Village was built in Sremska Kamenica near the border with Croatia, The SOS Children's Village Novi Sad is in a park on the slopes of the Fruska Gora Mountain on the banks of the river Danube which separates the SOS Children's Village from the city of Novi Sad.
It has thirteen family houses which are home to over 150 children. The houses have been built in a circle around a fountain, and every house has its own garden which is tended by the SOS family. For the older children who have grown up in the village, SOS youth facilities have been established in Novi Sad where they can take their first guided steps towards an independent life outside the village.
During the war, the village youth house was used as a temporary home for children with disabilities enabling them to attend a nearby special needs school. The village also suffered damage from the bombing and was later renovated. After the bombing of 1999 children with mild disabilities were accommodated in the youth house so that they could attend the nearby school for children with special needs. Some time later the SOS Children’s Village and the youth house were handed over to the municipality of Novi Sad.
In 2003 work began on building the SOS Children's Village in Kraljevo, Central Serbia. At the same time a Family Strengthening Programme was started in cooperation with a social centre in Kraljevo, This was supported by SOS Children's Villages Serbia until mid 2005. In April 2005 the first children moved into the SOS Children's Village Kraljevo.
Local Contact
SOS Decje selo Novi Sad, Sremska Kamenica, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro tel +381/21/46 1177 e-mail contact@s0s-kd.org.yu
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