On November the 3rd 2016, His Excellence Mr. Axel Dittmann, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Jürgen Schmid, First Secretary (Economic Cooperation Affairs), Mr. Gerhard Sippel, Country Director of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Mr. Heinz-Dietrich Harbers, general project manager of YEP and VET projects, Mr. Darko Bulatović, Mayor of Niš, mr. Bratimir Vasiljković, President of the City Municipality of Pantelej, Ana Pribićević, PR Manager of GIZ, Danica Belić, project manager of the YEP project and representatives of e. V Help have visited Association for Local Development Kamenica and our socially responsible cooperative for fruit drying.
Within the local initiative in Nis district, GIZ YEP in cooperation with the Association Kamenica, launched a development project based on the concept of socially-responsible cooperative, focusing on re-integration of youth aged 15 to 35, involved in fruit and vegetable production.
The Promotion of Start-Ups in Agriculture as an active labour market measure (ALMM) within the YEP includes active cooperation between socially-responsible cooperative and e. V Help.
The overall cooperation mechanism includes the following steps:
- YEP project supports socially-responsible cooperative with equipment – solar dryer for fruits, vegetables and herbs;
- Help provides technical assistance for establishment of the cooperative, support to technological processing of fruits, vegetable and herbs and mentoring to the cooperative;
- Respective cooperative will integrate youth as members of cooperative and to employ young people from NEET category (Not in Education, Employment and Training).
- They mutually develop, test and implement the measure.
In the cooperative is established a mini educational-processing facility for drying and packaging of grown and forest fruits, same as medicinal herbs and spices. Youth from rural areas are getting the opportunity for theoretical and practical education, to get actively involved in the processes of technological processing of products and to achieve higher income.
The visit started off with a short introduction of NGO Kamenica and the concept of socially-responsible cooperative, followed by the presentation of the socially-responsible cooperative for fruit drying ran by youth from NEET category (Not in Education, Empoyment and Training). Discussion on the current status of youth employment and offered opportunities for youth from NEET category was held, and at the end, we proposed a short walk to introduce the guests to the volunteer camp itself.
Srpski