PROJECT

“ADVOCACY FOR ADOPTING LOCAL ACTION PLANS FOR CHILDREN

IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF SOUTHEAST SERBIA”

            A Local Action Plan for Children (LAP), based on the National Action Plan (NAP) for Children as a strategic document for the poverty reduction of the youngest citizens of our country, represents an instrument for the improvement of living conditions and position of children on the local level, in line with the UN Convention of the Rights of a Child, UN Millennium Development Goals, and The World Fit for Children, a document adopted at the Special Session of UN General Assembly dedicated to children, and EU values. In Southeast Serbia, a large number of municipalities do not have a LAP for Children, nor have they started the process of composing and adopting this document, although the poverty and underdevelopment of the area are evident.

            That is why the overall goal of the project is the improvement of the position of children in Southeast Serbia by the advocacy for the adoption of LAPs for children, and a larger participation of children and youth in the process of decision making. The specific objectives of the project are: informing the representatives of the local self-governments, institutions, NGOs and media about the importance and the process of the adoption of LAP as a strategic document for children on the local level; the empowerment of children and youth for the participation in the process of initiation and creation of LAP on the local level; the initiation of the process of the creation of LAP in the local self-governments in the towns in Southeast Serbia. The target groups of the project are: representatives of the local self-governments, institutions, NGOs and media, children and youth from the primary and secondary schools, their teachers and citizens of Southeast Serbia. The project targets 750 direct and at least 10,000 indirect beneficiaries.

The main project activities are: holding 10 informative meetings and running the campaign in 10 towns: Nis, Aleksinac, Razanj, Sokobanja, Boljevac, Svrljig, Gadzin han, Doljevac, Merosina and Kursumlija; holding the training for children and youth and 10 local actions of the children and youth aiming at the stimulation of their participation in the process of the initiation and adoption of LAPs for children; the campaign and broadcasting of TV programme, printing the brochure and holding the final regional meeting.

The expected results of the project are: the improvement of the life conditions of children and youth in Southeast Serbia by the implementation of the activities foreseen by the adopted LAPs, as a long-term result, and the results stemming from the project activities: representatives of the local self-governments, institutions, NGOs, and media informed about the importance and process of the adoption of LAP; increased knowledge and skills of the children and youth for participation and organisation of actions, involvement of children in the initiation and creation of LAPs, adopting appropriate decisions in the local self-governments and forming teams and inter-sector councils for the creation of LAPs, the initiated process of adopting LAPs in 5 towns. The project evaluation will be performed based on the planned indicators.

The donor for the project is ISC’s. The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC’s) financial and technical assistance for Advocacy in Practice grants is part of the larger USAID-funded Serbia Civil Society Advocacy Initiative and is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

TRAINING IN NIS

RAŽANJ MUNICIPALITY – LOCAL ACTION

RAŽANJ MUNICIPALITY – INFORMATIVE MEETING

DOLJEVAC MUNICIPALITY – LOCAL ACTION

DOLJEVAC MUNICIPALITY – INFORMATIVE MEETING

SOKOBANJA MUNICIPALITY – LOCAL ACTION

SOKOBANJA MUNICIPALITY – INFORMATIVE MEETING

BOLJEVAC MUNICIPALITY – INFORMATIVE MEETING