USAID Beneficiaries in Serbia Send Help to Hurricane Katrina Victims
When Sasa Beljic and two other members of the first Agrarian Association of Medvedja in Southern Serbia learned of the opportunity to donate to relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, they jumped to action. The three men, beneficiaries of a USAID-funded Mercy Corps grant for agriculture development, contributed $500 to the people of New Orleans.
"Perhaps some of [our grant] came from New Orleans," said Beljic. "This is our way of saying thank you."
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| Members of the Agrarian Association of Medvedja sent a $500 donation to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina |
Beljic and his colleagues used their USAID grant to form the Agrarian Association of Medvedja, which is working to develop modern agricultural production across the Medvedja region. The association's 12 members focus on producing high-quality vegetables, as well as sharing information and experience. Their work has also included significant community improvement projects: the association built a house in Medvedja village for a nine-member Roma family, purchased and installed a heating system for a local kindergarten, and equipped a local primary school with a computer.
The Agrarian Association's success has brought some financial stability to members' families and more optimism for the growth of economic opportunity in the region. According to Beljic, the members' next project will be constructing 12 greenhouses across the area to act as agricultural learning labs. Members of the group are united in their efforts to maximize their association's benefits, and want to help their neighbors learn to grow and sell high-quality vegetables that will bring them more income.
In a brief letter accompanying the donation to the Hurricane's victims, Beljic and his colleagues encouraged their donation's beneficiaries to "be brave and believe" in the future. Patience and persistence, they advised, will see them through the challenges presented by the hurricane.
The men's heartfelt gesture and advice are more than subtle acknowledgements of their own patience and persistence through trying times. They are proof of the bonds created through U.S. development assistance—literally, aid from the American people—in Serbia.
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