Project launched to economically empower victims of violence

Project launched to economically empower victims of violence

The ceremony was attended, among others, by Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic and Chairman of the Board of the B92 Fund Veran Matic.

Economic empowerment of women victims of violence is now part of the services offered by the Sombor safe house, with the support of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. To this end, the social enterprise for growing organic vegetables has been established. The greenhouses represent a training center for organic production for those women who decide to become involved in this kind of production.

For other beneficiaries in need of economic empowerment, a series of trainings will be organized to help them become self-employed. Good Garden's profits will be permanently used to finance new services of the safe house. The idea is to facilitate and offer continuous training for residents and other beneficiaries of the Social Welfare Center for Economic Empowerment, so that they could break the cycle of physical or economic violence and/or poverty, and start their own small businesses - whether a garden that will be networked and use the sales network of the Good Garded, or any other small business.

Creating economic opportunities for women who are survivors of violence is often a critical factor for them to permanently exit the situation. It is important that, along with an adequate system of support, they create a new life and opportunities for themselves and their children. The Good Garden enterprise is also a training centerfor economically dependent women where they can learn the principles of social entrepreneurship, as well as organic production, with the support of the provincial agricultural expert services, that is, Professor Branka Lazic.

The importance of the Good Garden lies in the fact that its profit will be permanently used for further funding of this new service of the safe house. It has already had a planting and harvesting season of lettuce and onions, and local residents in Sombor have had the opportunity to buy the organically grown vegetables in a green market where the enterprise has a permanent stall. "One of the three future safe houses will be built in the northeast of (the province of) Vojvodina, one in the east and one in the west of (central) Serbia. These projects are already included in the action plan of the Coordinating Body for this year," said Zorana Mihajlovic, and added:

"The most important thing is that women, victims of domestic violence, during their stay in safe houses strengthen so they can resume normal life in the future. I can announce that during this year a helpline will be introduced for victims of domestic violence. In the past, funds were more involved that the state in implementing projects of safe house, such as the B92 Fund which helped build the safe house in Sombor. But that will change. In the future we will work together and the state will help the realization of these projects."

"This is, in every way, an innovative project," Veran Matic said of the Good Garden, and added:

"The first results are encouraging. Our idea is to expand the project to all safe houses and in that way systematically and long-term help economic empowerment of women survivors of violence."