The Diaspora for Motherland Fund held its assembly on 2 September, in the Parish House of the St Sava Temple in Belgrade, with the blessing of the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije.

In addition to Serbian diaspora representatives from Germany, Switzerland, France, Australia and other countries, the proceedings included Bishop Irinej Bulović of Bačka, Milica Đurđević-Stamenkovski, the chairperson, Milomir Vujadinović, deputy chairperson of the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region of the Serbian National Assembly, Dragan Stanić, president of Matica Srpska, Nikola Božić, advisor to Minister Đorđe Milićević, guests from the Republic of Srpska, Montenegro, Croatia.

Since its establishment in 1999, the Diaspora for Motherland Fund has invested several million euros in the reconstruction, development and humanitarian issues resolution in Serbia (FRY), RS, and Montenegro.

It is little known that the Rainbow Varadin Bridge on the Danube near Novi Sad, the bridges on the Velika Morava near Varvarin, on the Zapadna Morava near Kruševac and in Trstenik, and many other capital facilities, were renovated with the resources of the Serbian diaspora through the Diaspora Fund.

To rehabilitate the consequences of the catastrophic 2014 and 2015 floods, this Diaspora Fund provided assistance of close to two million euros to restore 52 homes in Obrenovac, communal and public institutions in Paraćin, Krupanj, Valjevo, Koceljeva, Golubac, Gradište, Novigrad, Bijeljina, etc.

In past years and today, the Fund’s assistance is directed primarily to the poor in Kosovo and Metohija. The Fund provided resources for the construction of a kindergarten in Brnjica, near Gračanica. For seven years now, the Fund has been providing regular assistance to soup kitchens in KiM in the amount of RSD 100,000, and from this year RSD 150,000 per month for groceries. The kitchens are managed by the Mother of the Nine Jugovićs humanitarian organization, under the auspices of the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren, and meals are provided daily for 2,000 people.

The work report and last year’s report, as well as a special report on Fund delegation’s visit to the Province of Kosovo and Metohija, were submitted by Dr Ljiljana Verner, president of the board of directors from Hanover, Germany, Slobodan Aćimović, president of the supervisory board, and Gojko Slijepčević, board of directors member from Stockholm, Sweden.

The assembly adopted the work plan for the next year. The work report of the Sanja Milenković Foundation was submitted by Slavko Vejinović, the director. The reports were adopted unanimously.

Diaspora delegates who took part in the assembly contributed further 60,000 euros to the Fund, thus demonstrating understanding and solidarity with compatriots in the motherland, especially with compatriots in Kosovo and Metohija, who need humanitarian assistance. In addition to gratitude to the donors, the expectation was expressed that their gesture would act as a good example.

Source and photo: Radio Television of Serbia – Diaspora for Motherland Fund