FY 2009 TAFT FUND FOR REFUGEES - CROATIA PROJECTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000301 SIPDIS DEPT FOR PRM/ECA, BELGRADE FOR REFUGEE ASSISTANT KURIC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREF PHUM EAID HR SUBJECT: FY 2009 TAFT FUND FOR REFUGEES - CROATIA PROJECTS ¶1. (U) Post is pleased to propose its submission for project funding through the Julia V. Taft Fund for Refugees FY 2009. Our two-part project aims to provide assistance to aid in the reintegration and sustainable return of primarily ethnic Serb returnees in disadvantaged and isolated regions of Croatia that were heavily affected by the war in the 1990s. This project will accelerate the return process by providing needed financial assistance to returnees navigating the cumbersome administrative process of return and will contribute to sustainability of return by providing increased access to medical and social care for elderly and infirm returnees. The combined budget for both aspects of the project is 20,000 USD. The duration of the project activities is approximately nine months. ¶2. (U) PART ONE - ACCELERATING THE RETURN PROCESS THROUGH RESOLUTION OF CITIZENSHIP CLAIMS AND LEGAL ASSISTANCE Refugees wishing to come back to Croatia often face a number of administrative challenges on their path toward return. Refugees who were born in other republics of the former Yugoslavia face additional obstacles to return because they must also apply for Croatian citizenship. Under current regulations these people must file requests for temporary residence, permanent residence, and eventually citizenship. Each of these steps along the way requires administrative fees which are insurmountable for some returnees due to old age, unemployment, and limited resources. Those refugees who wish to apply for housing care assistance and who are already Croatian citizens, but who are currently living in other countries of the former Yugoslavia must also pay fees to obtain supporting documents such as birth certificates, certificates of citizenship, land registry documents, and tax documents. Many times these documents must be gotten by proxy as the refugees no longer lives in Croatia and do not have the means to travel here. For many of the most needy returnees these fees prove to be too high and obstacles towards their return and integration. In order to advance the return process the NGO Serb Democratic Forum (SDF) is providing support to socially vulnerable returnees through the project "Free Legal Aid, Promotion and Protection of Human Rights." SDF is one of the oldest and most respected champions of refugee, returnee, minority and human rights in Croatia. Through this project the SDF shepherds applicants through the administrative process of returning to Croatia. As a supplement to this already existing project the SDF is requesting funding to pay for the administrative and document fees for those beneficiaries most in need of financial assistance. The Taft grant will assist approximately 50 beneficiaries/households from the most war affected parts of the country (areas near the Bosnian and Serbian borders). The SDF estimates the cost of assistance will be approximately 10,000 USD. The project duration will last nine months. Without this necessary funding many of these beneficiaries may abandon their right to return. A copy of SDF's code of conduct will be sent by follow-on e-mail. ¶3. (U) PART TWO - SUSTAINING RETURNS THROUGH TRANSPORTATION FOR ELDERLY AND INFIRM RETURNEES IN SISAK COUNTY Local NGO Our Life currently provides medical and social care assistance to approximately 200 elderly and/or infirm refugee returnee beneficiaries in the city of Petrinja and 55 surrounding villages in the Sisak County area (an area of special state concern). The majority of beneficiaries live alone with no family support network and limited retirement benefits. In many villages beneficiaries do not have basic services such as phone, running water and in some cases electricity. Public transportation is limited or not available. Our Life aims to improve the quality of life for this vulnerable group by providing in-house medical exams and rehabilitation treatment by medical professionals, transportation to doctor appointments and delivery of prescriptions. The NGO also organizes food delivery and assists in meal preparation, cleaning and yard maintenance, personal hygiene (bathing and putting on clothes),and basic socialization to prevent isolation and loneliness. The NGO has nine permanent employees and 20 volunteers. The NGO only has two vehicles for employees to service all 200 beneficiaries in Petrinja and the surrounding 55 villages. One of the vehicles is a 25 year old Golf which frequently breaks down and is unusable for those beneficiaries who are disabled. The lack of reliable transportation severely limits the services this NGO is able to provide to this most vulnerable group of returning refugees. This ZAGREB 00000301 002 OF 002 project will allow for the purchase of a newer used mini-van capable of transporting infirm beneficiaries including those who are in wheelchairs. Our Life estimates that the cost of such a vehicle would be approximately 10,000 USD. The provision of a reliable vehicle will allow Our Life to visit more returnees on a more frequent basis and provide the vital medical and social care that these refugees do not have access too. Any vehicle purchased through the use of Taft fund grants will be marked and identified as a gift from the U.S. government. A copy of Our Life's code of conduct will be sent by follow-on e-mail. BRADTKE