Initiative for Development and Cooperation

The Initiative for Development and Cooperation (IDC) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to social and economic inclusion of vulnerable categories of people and the protection of their rights. IDC has been registered in April 2007 and since then has worked with vulnerable categories of people who usually live in poverty and help them reaching full social inclusion in Serbia.

In the longterm IDC also wishes to establish itself as a first aid and social services provider. The association is also the co-founder of the first eco-social operation in Serbia – EkoBaG and project manager of the mobile care service TDI (They Deserve it) and the first Serbian network of social enterprises (www.sens.rs). Eko BaG produces bags from old advertising banners and TDI is dealing with Home care assistance for the elderly.

Cooperation with ASB During 2011/2012 the Arbeiter-Sa- mariter-Bund Deutschland e.V. (ASB) and IDC implemented a project entitled “They deserve it”, which was financed by the EU. The project was focused on providing employment for refugees and IDPs in the field of provision of social services. Nine refugees and IDPs were employed as caretakers and they provided their services to 98 socially vulnerable citizens. Upon the official end of the project IDC established an Association “They deserve it”. The Associa- tion continued to provide services to the beneficiaries and is still active.

In 2012, the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland e.V. (ASB) and IDC started a housing project for IDPs and refugees in three towns in Serbia: Vranje, Smederevo and Gadzin Han. By providing housing units to the beneficiaries, we will be able finally to close collective centers in these towns, where for almost two decade refuges and IDPs have been living. The project is currently being implemented and it will finish in 2014.

Support from ASB Foreign AID Department Under the International Samaritan Cooperation and recognizing the interests of IDC to further develop development of social services for vulnerable groups, ASB Foreign Aid Department supported the Association “They deserve it” for their activities in 2014. This association was under the IDC umbrella in order to provide care services to vulnerable people in the municipality of Mladenovac. The purpose of this project is to provide better and more focused care to people that cannot afford such services on the open market.

Also, one-week nursing care training course for IDC care professionals of the home care service in Mladenovac was carried out from 9th to 13th September, 2013 by Steffi Reiche, nursing manager of ASB Bernburg and Patrick Nieswand from the ASB head office. Steffi Reiche and Patrick Nieswand from the ASB head office trained IDC nursing care staff in wound treatment, blood pressure measurement, blood glucose monitoring and personal hygiene. Through practical exercises the ASB experts illustrated how the daily nursing routine for seniors and nursing care staff can be optimized.