1. Case-study No. & Title:
182. Supplying electricity to the refugee camp in Siveco, Serbia, September 2000 to January 2001

Keywords

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Social development

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Community planning

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Communication

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Co-existence

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Co-operation


2. Author information
2.1 Author’s Name
Marijana Filipovic

2.2 Institutional Affiliation and Contact Details:
Marijana Filipovic
Belgrade Centre for Women Studies
Srpskih vladara 34/1
11000 Belgrade
Yugoslavia

Contact:
Tel: +381 18 338 974 (private)
E-mail: marijanaf@bankerinter.net

2.3 Date recorded
24/01/2001

3. Good Practice Information Sheet
3.1 Local Level Good Practice:
The project has one main aim, namely to provide refugees in the Sicevo refugee camp with electric power. This involved:

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Reconstruction of electric installations

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Replacement of the old electricity transformer

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Installing the network of electricity cables that would connect transformer with the buildings and pylon


After the end of NATO air-campaign on the FR Yugoslavia and the withdrawal of the Yugoslav Army from Kosovo, members of the Serbian population from Kosovo started leaving their homes and coming to Serbia. Although the majority settled either in Montenegro and or in the towns of Vranje, Babusnica, Prokuplje, etc (geographically closer to Kosovo), a number arrived in Nis. They are accommodated mainly in local hotels, while some have found shelter in the village of Sicevo, approximately 15 km east of Nis. The location where they have settled used to be a holiday resort but it has been out of use for a long time and is accordingly in very bad condition. The main problem was the lack of electric power, mostly due to the age of the electric system. Refugees could not be expected to live in such bad conditions. The Ministry for Refugees first raised the issue. The local government of Nis region was supposed to solve the problem, but ultimately it was the international humanitarian organization YEN that conducted the project. This project essentially concentrated on solving very practical tasks and comprised the following:

a)

Reconstruction of electrical installations
 

Electric installations in the buildings where the refugees are located were in such bad conditions that the local Commissariat for Refugees at first wanted to relocate refugees to some other place. There was a proposal to clad the buildings with panels and to solve problems with heating in this way. However, after YEN’s proposal to reconstruct installations both of these earlier proposals were rejected. This part of the project was financed and conducted by ICS (Italian Consortium of Solidarity).

b)

Replacement of the old electricity transformer
 

The second phase of the project comprised the replacement of the old electricity transformer. Without replacing the transformer it would be impossible for the installations to work properly. The old transformer was still working but it was in very bad condition and there was a threat that it would collapse very soon. YEN financed this part of the project on its own, but the concrete job was carried out by a local electricity enterprise called ‘Elektrodistribucija – Nis’.

c)

Installing the network of electricity cables that would connect the transformer with the buildings and pylons
 

The last aspect of the project comprised installing the network of electricity cables, connecting buildings with the transformer and finally the pylon. This part of the project was financed and conducted by YEN.


The last part of the project was finished at the beginning of January 2001. The main objective of the project has been fulfilled: after completing all aspects of the project refugees in the Sicevo refugee camp got electric power.

3.2 Location:
The project was located in Sicevo, a village in Sicevo Gorge. This village is situated in the eastern part of Republic of Serbia, approximately 15 km from the town of Nis. Sicevo is a very small village and it is famous as a tourist attraction (because of the beauty of the Sicevo Gorge) as well as an art colony. Currently, village is also known as a refugee camp, situated in the former hotel. There are approximately 72 Serbian refugees from Kosovo in this camp. The project was aimed at this group.

3.3 Minority/Target Groups:
Minority: Refugees
Target group: Approximately 72 Serbian refugees from Kosovo

3.4 Major Actors Involved:

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Local Government - Local Commissariat for Refugees (for region of Nis) as representatives of local authorities

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Government Ministry

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Public Institution

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International NGO – YEN, ICS (Italian Consortium of Solidarity)

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Private institution or enterprise - "Elektrodistribucija – Nis" (local electricity company)

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Other, namely: UNHCR


3.5 Budget allocated by local government authorities and/or by other actors

Reconstruction of electric installations in the refugee camp in Sicevo:
 

Humanitarian organization YEN
ICS (Italian Consortium of Solidarity)

Replacement of the old electricity transformer in the camp:
 

Humanitarian organization YEN

Installing the whole network of electricity transformers:
 

Humanitarian organization YEN

Total amount of money spent on the project:
 

Approximately US$ 13,000, out of which 70% was spent on equipment.


3.6 Timeframe
The initiative was first proposed in September 2000, officially launched and put into practice in November that year. The project was completed in January 2001.

3.7 Local level good practice relation to national level ethnic policy
The project ‘Supplying electricity to the Refugee Camp in Sicevo’ was initiated, proposed, and conducted by the humanitarian organization YEN. However, the project represents implementation of national level policy towards refugees. It was conducted under the supervision of National and Local Commissariat for Refuges and the UNHCR. The local branch of Commissariat was a point of co-operation between YEN and the local government. Basically, there was no opposition towards this project.

4. Good Practice Description
According to unofficial data there are approximately 15,000 refugees in this area, out of which 4,000 are from Kosovo. These numbers are unofficial because they represent only those who are housed in the refugee camps. The number of those who are staying with their relatives and friends is unknown.

The present project to bring electricity to the Siveco refugee camp was directed at the 72 Serbian refugees from Kosovo located in Sicevo. These refugees are the responsibility of the government of the Nis region

The virtually untenable living conditions in the Sicevo refugee camp motivated the project. In this respect it is important to stress that the buildings in which refugees are situated were earlier used as a hotel. However, by the time refugees got there the hotel was already out of use and in rather bad condition. Apart from problems of basic hygiene (bad condition of toilets, bathrooms, and sleeping quarters), which with some effort could be solved, the biggest problem was the dilapidation of the electrical installations. This caused a total failure of the electrical system. The consequences of this situation were appalling: no electricity meant a life without hot water, without heating, without hot meals. The situation was especially difficult for families with small children, whose basic needs simply could not be fulfilled without electricity.

The involvement of local government
In accordance with their duties and tasks, local government (and to be more precise the Local Commissariat for Refugees) was responsible for solving this problem. However, due to the limited financial resources of the local government as well as because of the big number of refugees in the region, they faced financial problems in solving the situation. The Commissariat was trying to find the best possible way for improving the living conditions of the refugees. There was a possibility of closing the Sicevo refugee camp and relocating refugees to another place, but this idea was abandoned mostly because there were no more free places in other camps. Another proposal, from a local NGO, was to clad the buildings in panels. This proposal was not pursued because it would not solve the whole problem (only the heating problem). Finally, the Japanese humanitarian organization YEN suggested changing the whole electricity system in the camp. After consultations between local and national representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees, this initiative was accepted as the best, with maximum potential for solving the problem as a whole.

The main aspects of the project
The very practical nature of this project encompassed the following dimensions:

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The reconstruction of electric installations was the first part of the project to be carried out. This work was started in the beginning of November 2000. Electric installations in all the buildings were replaced. There was a relatively minor problem this work being carried out while the refugees were in the buildings, but this did not affect successful outcome. The humanitarian organization YEN was directly responsible for this part of the project, although the Italian Consortium of Solidarity provided financial support for it and did the practical work.

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Replacement of the old electricity transformer was the second part of the project. This was done shortly after the reconstruction of the electric installations. This part of the project is very important because without it, it would be impossible to successfully solve the problem with electric power. The old electricity transformer was still in use but due to its instability there was a danger of its (and the whole system’s) imminent collapse. This part of project was finished in a hurry because of the weather conditions. YEN financed the replacement, but the work in the field were carried out by the local electricity enterprise, "Elektrodistribucija – Nis".

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The last part of the project was the installation of the network of electricity cables that would connect the transformer with the buildings and pylon. This part was also very contingent upon the weather conditions, since a large part of work was to be done outside. This final part of the project was finished in the first half of January 2001. The humanitarian organization YEN as the main organizer and financier was solely responsible for this part of the project.


A very important aspect of the project was getting in touch with the refugees. This is the first non-practically oriented aspect and its outcomes are not that visible. However, YEN is a humanitarian organization that not only helps with the reconstruction of buildings and similar projects, but also organizes workshops providing psychological help for refugees. The project to bring electricity to the Siveco refugee camp does not encompass such workshops, but it is important because essential connections with refugees are made. As Ms Suzuje Saito and other representatives of YEN said, this project might have a continuation that would consist of such workshops.

The financial support for the project
Means for realizing this project came from two organizations the Japanese humanitarian organization YEN and Italian Consortium of Solidarity (ICS). YEN is the main financier, while ICS financed the first part of the project, that is, the reconstruction of electric installations within the buildings.

Reaction of refugees to the project
Reactions of refugees to the project were extremely positive. After months spent without electric power, and thus living in very primitive conditions, the inhabitants were happy again to live in a more or less normal way. It was fortunate that the winter was mild so they did not freeze to death before the work was completed.

The refugees were also glad that the initiative of relocating them to some other place was not pursued. As a majority of them said, they got used to the area and people from Sicevo. Since it is a rural area, some of them even started cultivating some vegetables. Relocating to another place would mean renewed adaptation and unnecessary stress. They prefer to stay in Sicevo until the time when they can get back to their old homes.

Problems that transpired in the course of the project: Money transfers from Japan to Yugoslavia; working in the buildings while refugees were in them

The main problem that transpired in the course of implementing the project relates to money transfer from Japan to Yugoslavia. As Ms Suzuje Saito said, this problem occurred as a result of economic sanctions towards the FR of Yugoslavia.

The second problem was to do with the reconstruction of electric installations. This reconstruction was conducted in all buildings. Since refugees did not move out while reconstruction was conducted, there were some minor problems with the reconciliation of time and space. Thankfully, this did not affect either the deadline for the first part of the project or its ultimate success.

There were no other problems, although representatives of YEN feared that bad weather conditions could slow down the project but that did not happen. The weather was in the refugees’ favour with extremely high temperatures for winter.

Kosovo refugees of Serbian ethnic origin as a minority in Serbia / official attitudes towards refugees
The government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the High Commissariat for Refugees. Furthermore, there is a close co-operation between the local Commissariats, Republic Commissariats, and the UNHCR in the FR Yugoslavia. This means that Yugoslavia as a country, Serbia as a republic, and local governments as representatives of different regions are to follow the guidelines of internationally set standards in their treatment of refugees.

This does not happen in practice, however. According to the reports of Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (Belgrade office), refugees are treated as a minority (although they are not recognized as one). In Professor Ratko Bubalo’s opinion, refugees are a special kind of minority: they have a specific status in law and also a specific socioeconomic status. They are also targets of ethnocentrism on the part of the majority as are other minority groups. The attitude of the national authorities towards them is the same as towards other minorities: officially they can claim rights, but in real life they cannot expect anything. Apart from sporadically received humanitarian packages (sent mostly from abroad and used mostly for political promotion by the authorities), refugees in Serbia live in conditions where very basic needs are not being met. The example of the refugee centre ‘Pinki’ in Zemun, where 400 Romany and Serbian refugees from Kosovo are housed, only illustrates this fact. In this centre 80 people share one toilet, there is neither hot water nor heating. Nobody has ever paid them an official visit (local or republic level Commissariat for Refugees) although they have been living in this centre for 17 months at the time of writing (for the first 8 months the Republic Commissariat for Refugees did not even know that 400 people lived in this centre).

Bearing in mind the above, it is very important to stress that the current project is more an exception than a rule.

Opposition against the project
Since the project represents direct implementation of the national policy towards refugees and it was initiated by the local government it had practically no opposition. Co-operation with the local Commissariat for Refugees was good and the most visible evidence of this was the granting of the necessary licence to conduct the project. The general public was informed about the project mainly by the local media, but there is no information available about their responses.

However, it must be stressed that unfortunately this is a rare case of solving refugees’ problems. Usually, refugees are left to take care of their basic living needs by themselves, relying mostly on their friends and relatives. Some of them receive humanitarian aid from time to time (this humanitarian aid usually consists of packages of flour, washing powder, shampoo, etc) but there are not many examples of large-scale projects, like this one.