New program: Increasing socio-economic inclusion for vulnerable groups with tailored made assistance
24. 08. 2023
Over the next 12 months, Help will implement a new project to support children and families at risk of separation, funded by the EU through the Montenegro-EU Program for Employment, Education, and Social Welfare.
The enhancement of socio-economic inclusion for vulnerable groups will be carried out in accordance with an innovative method – individualized tailored made assistance.
Dijana Anđelić, the Director of Help Montenegro, stated during the signing of the contract that this is another program that continues Help’s longstanding work with the most vulnerable communities and groups in Montenegro, with the aim of improving their socio-economic status and providing protection for the most sensitive groups.
According to Anđelić, this project will place special emphasis on supporting children at risk of separation from their families, which we have identified as a specific need in our previous work with vulnerable citizen groups.
The support for families and children at risk will be carried out in the municipalities of Berane, Bijelo Polje, Nikšić, and Podgorica over the next 12 months, in collaboration with social welfare centers, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, as well as other relevant institutions.
Help’s partner in the project is the NGO Family Center Kotor.
During this period, support is planned to be provided for around 50 families at risk in the mentioned four municipalities.
Help helping Ukrainian refugees in Montenegro
10. 06. 2022.
German Humanitarian Organization Help will provide assistance to vulnerable Ukrainian refugees in Montenegro, mainly located in Podgorica, Herceg Novi, Tivat, Bar and Budva. Assistance will be provided in food, clothes, medicines, materials for workshops, psycho-social support, summer camps for children and excursions for elderly refugees who have no other chances of leaving their immediate place of refuge.
These relief measures are funded by „Aktion Deutschland Hilft”, a federation of German aid organizations acting concert to provide quick and effective help in response to major disasters and emergencies abroad.
Help will cooperate in this project with the Ukrainian relief organization „Dobor djelo“ (Good deed) that disposes of a network of five Ukrainian volunteer centers that were established with the assistance of the Ukrainian embassy. Presently some 6,000 to 7,000 refugees are staying in Montenegro. While many of the Ukraininan refugees have the means to take care of their needs, there are others who are in dire need of assistance: accomodation, food, education for children, language courses and jobs.
Help’s budget for this relief projects amounts to Euro 86,182.
Help and the Good Deed Network today signed a Memorandum of Cooperation for the distribution of aid.
Among the refugees are more than 1, 000 children. They are mostly in Budva, more than 600 and about 300 in Bar. In the past few months, six babies were born, and another 15 women are expected to give birth. The largest number of refugees are women, mostly as single parents.
Since 1999, Help has been providing aid in Montenegro, as well as all other countries in which it operates, for the most vulnerable categories, especially refugees and displaced persons, minorities, women and children in accordance with its mission “to enable people to take control of their lives and live in dignity, peace and safety.”
Help and UNDP in the new project – Motivation of young people and the unemployed
UNDP and Help are implementing a new pilot program, within the Activate! project whose main goal is to help young and unemployed people, under the age of 35, get employment easier and faster, through personal activation and engagement – working on themselves and their work profile.
With the help of experts in the field of employment and social protection, in the following five months, we engage in motivating young and unemployed people to, apart from registering to the labor office, take it a step further – working on themselves and building a work profile in order to be more prominent to employers on the job market.
Basic information:
Pilot project: Working activation of social protection beneficiaries
Location:
Montenegro: Podgorica, Tuzi, Golubovci, Nikšić, Plužine, Šavnik, Bijelo Polje, Ulcinj, Bar, Rožaje
Value:
45.000,00 Euro
Donator/Donor:
UNDP – Program Activate
Duration:
February 15 – July 15, 2022
Description:
Montenegro has had a low employment rate (especially among young people) for many years, and a low activity rate (especially among women) characterizes the labor market. Young people, especially from rural areas, are in an even more difficult position. Women continue to face specific barriers when getting a job, earn less and face difficulties in balancing work and household chores.
Youth unemployment rose to 37.7% in 2021, further exacerbating job prospects. Long-term unemployment affects two-thirds of unemployed young women in Montenegro, according to Monstat records. This suggests that new policies are needed to help young people find suitable jobs, get the opportunity for further education or training on time.
Three quarters of young people employed in Montenegro are mostly part-time, which is significantly more than in the 27 EU member states. The level of education affects the position of young people in the labor market, because the activity rate of young people with a low level of education (primary school or less) is below 10%.
The activity rate rises sharply with the level of education, emphasizing the importance of continuing education and providing adequate training and education opportunities for unqualified young people.
In Europe, after Turkey, Montenegro has the highest percentage of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). According to the World Bank, NEET youth in Montenegro accounted for 28.6 percent. Local social institutions do not have specific strategies or capacities to deal with young people in NEET. In addition to the lack of strategies designed for this category of population, the RCC study also shows that there are many unreliable job search platforms, and young people are often uncertain about the jobs they apply for because there is not much information. Employers often provide unrealistic information about employment conditions, which often leads young people to inactivity and lack of motivation to find a job.
All this indicates not only the need for specific strategies and Institutional capacity building, but also the need for continuous motivation and support for the unemployed vulnerable population.
The European Commission’s recommendations also emphasize the importance of developing quality employment measures aimed at young people and women, people with disabilities, minorities and vulnerable groups affected by the pandemic.
Goals:
- Contribute to the work activation of the unemployed, with a focus on social protection beneficiaries, through services / programs that respond to the specific needs of beneficiaries
- Contribute to the integrated provision of activation and employment services, specifically for the user
- Test innovative approaches to integrated work activation and their potential for full realization
Results:
- Activation and improvement of employability of up to 100 young unemployed persons
- Strengthened institutional capacity to provide integrated activation services
Target group: young people (up to 35 years old), unemployed, able-bodied MOP beneficiaries
Main activities:
Agreeing on details of cooperation with national and local actors
Communication campaign towards beneficiaries / potential project participants
Selection of participants
Conducting training for work activation (soft skills)
Creating individual activation plans
Mentoring based on individual plans
Identification and presentation of positive role models
Sharing lessons learned with stakeholders
Workshops for RE woman in Berane, Nikšić, Podgorica
26.02 2020
Help and NGO “Walk with us Phiren Amenca” have organized workshops for Roma and Egyptian women on topic of human rights with focus on women’s rights in Berane, Nikšić and Podgorica, held by Red Cross experts of Montenegro.
The workshops were organized within the framework of the project “Civil society in action promoting and protecting Roma and Egyptian rights in Montenegro” funded by the European Union.
The workshops were held in Berane on 14. February 2020, in Nikšić on 25. February, and in Podgorica on 26. February.
The topics of the workshops were: women and human rights, family life and resolving family conflicts (domestic violence), girls’ education, early (arranged) marriages and begging.
Here are the photos that convey the atmosphere:
First Berane…
Then Nikšić …
And in the end Podgorica…
