Kosovo refugees struggle to make ends meet

Kosovo refugees struggle to make ends meet

Ljiljana Karadžić and her son Milan, formerly of Prizren, fled Kosovo in 1999. “I earn minimal wage, just under 50 euros per month. That money means nothing, it’s just enough to pay the rent, and what I make elsewhere is enough to buy bread every day”, she says.

Head of the Refugee Office in town, Dragan Piljević, says despite economic hardship experienced by Ljiljana Karadžić and almost 4,000 other Serb refugees from Kosovo, humanitarian organizations stir clear from Prokuplje, making their plight almost impossible to alleviate.

“Their social circumstances are poor. Most of these people live in poverty, very few own houses or apartments, most are renting or staying with family. Some literally have no place to go, and depend on the kindness of the people who let them stay in old houses”, Piljević says.

“I work the land, clean houses, chop firewood for my neighbors. I work and earn enough to pay the rent and get some food. I have friends who sometimes send us groceries. It’s very hard for us”, Ljiljana Karadžić says.

Meantime, only five families that found refuge in Prokuplje after fleeing Kosovo have returned to their homes in the province. The Refugee Office representatives say that their budget of 1,300 euros a year allows them to help the unfortunate people with only the small amounts of money.