EU PROGRES

Nine women started their own businesses and 16 gender equality projects were successfully completed in South and South-West Serbia with the financial support worth 73,220 EUR the European Union and Swiss Government extended through the European Partnership with Municipalities Programme EU PROGRES.

The women entrepreneurs in Novi Pazar, Raška, Leskovac, Prokuplje, Surdulica, Blace and Vranje were provided with equipment to launch their own business in manufacturing clothing and jewellery, dressmaking, mushroom production, provision of bookkeeping and dental services and other fields. They have also acquired new skills and knowledge on marketing, sales, taxes and legal aspects of doing business with the help of the Vranje Business Incubator Centre experts. Furthermore, a marketing plan was designed to improve the work of another company owned by a woman.

“I’m very happy, because I have a job and earn enough money to lead a normal life in this crisis. I now have new business goals, because I’m doing a job I love. I’m proud                    of my work, because my clients are satisfied,” said Katarina Mutavdžić from Raška, the owner of the company “Unique by Katarina”, which manufactures clothes for men, women and children.

The local Gender Equality Mechanisms in Prokuplje, Žitorađa, Kuršumlija, Bujanovac, Vranje, Vladičin Han, Vlasotince, Lebane, Bojnik, Medveđa, Raška, Tutin, Sjenica, Nova Varoš, Prijepolje and Priboj successfully implemented 16 projects contributing to improving women’s health, the participation of women in local policy making, the fight against gender-based violence, the economic empowerment of women and the promotion of gender equality among decision makers in local self-governments and the broader community.