The women’s agricultural cooperative “Kreativna vizija” from Rudo, whose founder is the Center for Responsible Democracy “LUNA”, and where women from rural areas of this BiH municipality are economically empowered by working on a rose hip plantation, was visited today by representatives of CARE International Balkans and four non-governmental organizations from BiH.
The visit, during which a partnership meeting was held, was realized within the project „Enhancing social protection by building capacities of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ led by CARE International Balkans and financially supported by the Austrian Development Agency, funds of the Austrian Development Cooperation.
This project supported the Association of persons with Cerebral Palsy and Dystrophy from Goražde, the Association “Otaharin” from Bijeljina, the Association of Citizens “Budućnost” from Modriča, and the Association of Women “Maja Kravica” from Bratunac, in starting and or strengthening their social enterprises in which marginalized people get a job opportunity. The Center for Local Democracy “LUNA”, ie the Cooperative “Creative Vision”, was also supported.
“The purpose of today’s visit to Rudo and our partner organization Center for Responsible Democracy LUNA is to see how much their social enterprise Kretivna vizija has developed in the previous period, thanks to the investments of CARE International Balkans and the Austrian Development Agency. From the very beginning, we were supportive in the registration of this company, in seedlings, labor force, more precisely, we gave per diems to women from rural areas of this municipality who worked on the property, we fenced the property where rose hips is planted, procured a container where employees can rest and leave necessary things to work on the property, and were support in the promotion of this cooperative, ie achieving its greater visibility in public space, in order to achieve sales, “said Branislav Tanasijevic, project manager CARE International Balkans.
The director of the Center for Responsible Democracy “LUNA”, Svetlana Vukovic, stated that CARE International Balkans is a donor that recognizes the needs of organizations, and that cooperation with this organization is valuable.
“Today, we have a property on which rose hip is planted, which we plan to use in a way that we sell it as raw rose hip, as a tea, but also puree rose hip. There are many more juices and jams that we produce, which we plan to place on the market. In all that, CARE is a springboard “, Vukovic points out.
Support for the development of social entrepreneurship is actually support for marginalized groups, in this case women from rural areas of the municipality of Rudo. One of them is Dušanka Pantić.
“Starting social enterprises in a small community like Rudo is of great importance for women, especially those who come from rural areas. I currently work as a production coordinator at the Kreativna vizija Cooperative, and I can tell you that I am extremely pleased because I have been doing this job my whole life. The per diems that are provided for our work certainly contribute to the family, strengthen our budgets, and create opportunities for better living conditions “, says Dušanka Pantić.
CARE International Balkans and the Austrian Development Agency strongly support social enterprises, which have only recently begun to flourish in Bosnia and Herzegovina, because they see them as an opportunity that regardless of disability, race, education, nationality, everyone have equal rights and opportunities in employment.
