Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

Author: Nadežda Satarić (Social Inclusion Blog)

Over the past two months, I had a chance to visit the elderly in villages in 10 odd municipalities in southern and western Serbia. I talked to more than 200 elderly villagers and visited some of them in their homes. I did it thanks to the International Women Club which distributed, through Amity, packages of food, hygiene and items most needed.

The things I’ve seen, heard and lived are difficult to retell. Even for me who was born in a village and often visit it, who believes herself to know all the specificities of life in rural areas, these experiences were drastically different and distressing. I saw a different picture of Serbia, from the one we see in Belgrade and other big cities every day.

Today, the elderly who remain in the villages live in poverty for the most part. The sole income for many of them is their agricultural pensions amounting to some RSD 10,000. Those who receive family pensions, have even less. Rare are the cases of persons who receive employee pensions, and some of them receive no pensions at all. Many inhabitants live in fear of being a burden to their children and offspring who live elsewhere, they are lonely and suffer from many chronic diseases often untreated because the doctors do not visit the villages.

The text in its entirety can be found on the Social Inclusion Blog.