Belgrade, Serbia — In five days, I have traveled almost the entire length of Serbia (more than 500 kilometers), visited three cities, and met with five organizations that are supported by GFC. The biggest impression that this visit has left on me is the depth of work and diversity of programs that our groups in Serbia are implementing. Whether it is anti-trafficking programs, HIV/AIDS prevention within Roma communities, running a drop-in center for street children, counseling children who have been abused, or operating safe centers for vulnerable children, these groups cover a huge range of issues and areas—all focused on vulnerable and marginalized children in Serbia. What also struck me are the differences within the communities where these groups are working. Each city is unique and distinctly different from the others, emphasizing the need to address specific, local issues at the community level—which is just what these groups are doing.

With that said, my overall impression of Serbia has been quite mixed, perhaps because the areas I visited bore little or no resemblance to each other. Subotica’s sophisticated, blended Serbian-Hungarian style; Belgrade’s gritty, urban center; and Leskovac’s quiet café-like community all tell different stories.

One thought that connects every corner of the country, though, was clearly expressed by one grantee partner’s executive director: “Serbia is in need of long-term goals, not just short-term aims.” Due to the country’s history and future uncertainty (Serbia is looking to gain European Union access), setting goals and sticking to them has not been an exercise the country has been able to practice. For example, aims may be put in place to improve some section of social services, but as government turnover happens or the political climate shifts, new priorities are unveiled without old ones being achieved. This directly affects Serbia’s children. It seems that Serbia is in need of some stability of its own, not in terms of peace, but stability in a deeper sense of the word.

Lisa Fiala is GFC’s Program Officer for Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States