Solidarites - Our Programmes in Macedonia

Our action in Macedonia
Helping the villagers who accommodated the kosovar refugees. Our action today: Education, hygiene and drinking water *Our* action yesterday: Assistance to villages bordering Kosovo Emergency Relief for the Kosovo Refugees Notes from the Field ... ... from Magali, Administrative Officer

Notes from the Field ...
An Essential Programme
" During the crisis, the villagers (bordering Kosovo) gave all that they had: food, clothes, money … Today, we must provide them with essential items to see them through the winter: food, clothes, mattresses, but also carry out minor rehabilitation of schools or improvement of water quality. The villagers, who have low living conditions, did not seem to believe that we were really going to help them. Now they are beginning to realize and to get more and more involved in our winter operations. Distributions, which started over a month ago, are going well overall. Many want to take advantage of this aid even though they no longer live in the mountains. So sometimes we have to take on the role of "policeman", but fortunately it does not last long. Our biggest difficulty the accessibility of certain villages: we have to cross ice, snow, mud, and cold for miles to get there! " Magali, Administrative Officer

2000-2001 : Education, hygiene and drinking water
From February to July 2001: at 23 sites throughout the various regions of Macedonia, benefiting nearly 57,000 residents: Installation of water treatment systems in order to provide for basic drinking water needs Rehabilitation of water supply networks Rehabilitation of hygiene facilities in schools Educational campaign about basic hygiene in schools Construction of a health centre in Dolneni to provide basic health care to 2.500 residents of the town of Desevo.
From July to December 2000: Debar, Gresnica and Gugurnica regions Rehabilitation of 5 schools: improvement of standards of hygiene and security (repairs to roofs and loftss) Rehabilitation of drinking water supply networks and improvement of water treatment facilities. Hygiene campaign: distribution of hygiene kits to 10 targeted kindergartens.

June 1999-2000 : Assistance to villages bordering Kosovo

Since the departure of the refugees:
SOLIDARITES has focused its actions on 17 villages, situated near to the border with Kosovo, who accommodated many kosovar refugees. The inhabitants of these villages, who were already very poor, shared food and money. They now need humanitarian aid in several forms:

Distribution of food and hygiene parcels to 2,200 refugee babys who remain with foster families or in community centres;

For those families who accommodated refugees: distribution of basic food items (flour, sugar, beans, salt, oil), of winter clothing parcels for children between 3 and 11 years, of baby hygiene and family parcels, of matresses and blankets;

Rehabilitation of 30 schools (plumbing, rooves, floors ...);

Awareness campaign about basic hygiene for primary school children in rural schools throughout Macedonia, together with the distribution of hygiene parcels to 10,000 children;

Rehabilitation and transformation of a building into a health centre benefiting a poor and isolated community in the mountains;

Construction and rehabilitation of several water supply networks in rural villages.

April-June 1999 : Emergency Relief for the Refugees

Emergency Relief for the Kosovo Refugees:

Distribution of 20 tons of baby kits, food and hygiene parcels at the refugee camps;

Distribution of food parcels to 16.000 children aged 0 to 3 years every 15 days as well as a monthly hygiene parcel at the refugee camps near the border with Kosovo;

Provision of drinking water and installation of sanitary equipment (latrines, waste water drainage ...) in the Sénékos camp which accommodated 10,000 refugees.