Donor: Royal Netherlands Embassy and municipalities of Vranje, Leskovac and Pirot

Duration: 1. November 2005 - 31. December 2006

Budget: 604.535,50 EUR

Region: South Serbia

Description: The programme focuses on economic support to local development in Serbia and Montenegro. The main activities concentrate on business incubation through income grants assistance schemes for small businesses as well as the provision of business and vocational training and education. HELP supports the implementation of existing local strategies for local development and therefore facilitates the process of sustainable development as a whole.

Assistance to the development of the private sector will be exclusively provided within the framwork of existing local development strategies with the strong involvement of local authorities into the decision making process.

In total 300-targeted small businesses in Vranje, Leskovac and Pirot municipalities will be assisted with in kind grants (average 1200 EUR) provided by HELP in cooperation with the targeted municipalities. Selection, training and education will be conducted through local development partners. HELP will also include a strong local capacity building component in the programme, consisting of trainings/ workshops.

Ongoing activities: Final meetings with the HELP clients were held in the municipalities of Leskovac, Vranje and Pirot during the February 2007.

More than 70% of the clients attended the meetings held in the targeted municipalities and received additional informative and educational material (Credit lines for small and medium sized enterprises and entrepreneurs, issued by the Republic Agency for SME’s and entrepreneurs; brochures for vegetable growing, cattle breeding – dairy production, issued by FAO, as well as the other informative material relevant to the clients’ business activities).

By enabling the start-up business activities for 300 clients, the unemployment rate in targeted municipalities have been indirectly and significantly decreased. The clients received in-kind grants (equipment and/or material) up to the average value of 1.200 euros.

Total number of supported clients in Leskovac municipality was 98 (out of which 71 deals with the agriculture activities, 17 with crafts and 10 provides services); in Vranje 102 clients were supported (out of which are 79 agriculture activities, 12 crafts, and 11 services); while in Pirot out of 100 clients supported 73 deals with agriculture, 15 with crafts and 12 with services.

HELP organized 300 business and 172 vocational trainings in Leskovac, Vranje and Pirot, tailored by the client’s needs, which they have completed successfully.

In the favor of the project’s success speaks also the fact that out of 300 supported clients 96.3% have registered their business activities, whilst the average monthly volume of production/services of HELP’s clients have been increased for more than 20% in the last quarter of 2006.

November 2006,
Vranje Equipment delivery to HELP client