Today in Kragujevac, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, the City of Kragujevac, and the Regional Agency for Economic Development of Šumadija and Pomoravlje, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), established the first Incentive Fund for the economic empowerment of people with disabilities in Serbia. The launch of the fund will provide financial support to individuals with disabilities who wish to start their own businesses, as well as to employers who hire people with disabilities and seek to enhance their operations with quality staff.
“Today, together with the City of Kragujevac, as part of the ‘Job Fit’ project, we established the Incentive Fund from which people with disabilities, employers, and companies that employ people with disabilities will be able to use more than 2 million dinars for starting or improving their businesses. In the next 12 months, another similar fund is planned to be established in Serbia, into which USAID will invest. Along with local governments, through this project, we will provide support worth over 4.3 million dinars for empowering people with disabilities and their employers,” stated Đorđe Boljanović, project manager at the USAID mission in Serbia.
The fund, with a total value of $20,000, was established with an investment of $12,500 from USAID through the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation and $7,500 from the City. Beneficiaries will be able to apply for financial support through a competition that will be announced in June 2024.
“As a city, we are truly aware of the importance of this issue, and in recent years we have worked extensively in this field. Through all the measures we have implemented over the past few years, we can proudly say that nearly 700 people with disabilities have been removed from the unemployment register through self-employment or employment in certain companies. We owe great gratitude to the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation for recognizing the need for this fund and for being willing to establish this first incentive fund in Serbia with the Regional Agency and the city of Kragujevac. I am confident that other local governments will also recognize the importance of this,” stated Dejan Ružić, Deputy Mayor of Kragujevac.
The funds are designed to be repaid by users over a period of 3 years, making them self-sustaining. This way, other beneficiaries will have the opportunity to apply and improve their businesses with the help of these funds in the future.
“Through the four-year ‘Job Fit’ project, together with our partners, we are successfully working on promoting the employment and self-employment of people with disabilities through campaigns, various training sessions, workshops, internship programs, and employment support through the employment portal for people with disabilities zaposljavanje.fmi.rs. This innovative fund is another step towards a more inclusive society and the creation of equal opportunities for all citizens. All beneficiaries will receive significant mentoring support in addition to financial resources,” said Ana Košel, Director of the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, adding that the Foundation, with USAID’s support, has been establishing such funds for various target groups for years, proving this mechanism to be very successful and necessary.
“It is always a pleasure to start planning something new and innovative. The City of Kragujevac promptly responds to all initiatives, and what is happening regarding employment and support for people with disabilities is not an ad-hoc matter, but a strategic commitment of the city. The establishment of the fund has the potential for a multiplying effect, so what is established today can grow,” said Nenad Popović, Director of the Regional Agency for Economic Development of Šumadija and Pomoravlje.
The Incentive Fund was established with USAID’s support within the project “Job Fit: Economic Empowerment of People with Disabilities,” aimed at creating equal access to employment for people with disabilities and fostering a more open and inclusive labor market in Serbia. It is implemented by the Youth with Disabilities Forum in partnership with the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, Caritas Serbia, Smart Kolektiv, and the Center for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities of Serbia.
