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Ten Years Later, A Montenegrin Community Center Rises from the Ashes
“This magnificent structure was literally built from the ashes," said Ljubo Vujadinovic, proudly pointing at the new multipurpose community center in Vidrovan.
Vujadinovic lives in the picturesque Montenegrin village of Rastovac. His and 12 other villages constitute the area of Vidrovan, a predominantly agricultural district. Residents vividly recall when their former community center, the venue for Vidrovan's community meetings, socializing, and recreation, went up in flames 10 years ago.
The community center's reconstruction became a possibility after it was designated a priority for the Vidrovan Community Development Council (CDC). As in dozens of communities throughout Serbia and Montenegro, CDCs serve as a vehicle for uniting neighbors in their pursuit of common goals. Rural CDCs are particularly effective in encouraging communication between distant neighbors and prioritizing community redevelopment projects.
Organized with the help of USAID's Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (CRDA) program, the Vidrovan CDC has implemented five community projects in the last three years. Once the CDC had committed to the project, it set to work securing funding. USAID provided 69 percent of the $229,000 project cost through its regional partner, CHF International. The Vidrovan community, in partnership with the Montenegrin Government's Public Works Directorate, the local municipality, and the CDC provided the remainder. Vujadinovic explained that the modern facility will significantly improve the quality of life in his region.
"Within the center there are some completely new amenities, including an equipped gym," he said. "A grocery store, as well as a walk-in medical clinic or dentist's office, is expected to be opened soon."
The center can host local community meetings, cultural events and sports activities. It also houses an agricultural pharmacy to meet the needs of Vidrovan's farmers.
According to Vujadinovic, the center will also create at least seven new jobs.
"That is what we needed," he added. "Young educated people will want to stay in Vidrovan now instead of finding their happiness somewhere else."
The only flame that sometimes flickers in the community center nowadays, according to Vujadinovic, is the good-natured rivalry with the neighboring village that his Rastovac basketball team has managed to defeat.
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| The ruins of Vidrovan's prime community gathering place before USAID-sponsored reconstruction |
Vidrovan's rebuilt community center includes a fully equipped gym and agricultural pharmacy |
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