📋 Tender Overview
Hundreds of Roma living in informal settlements in Serbia now have access to clean drinking water thanks to the country's first-ever comprehensive data mapping exercise. This innovative initiative, launched by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealed the staggering realities: more than 30,000 Roma had limited access or lack of drinking water, more than half of them lived without sewage services and some 24,000 people had little or no access to electricity. Representing almost 2% of the Serbian population, the Roma community also faces high rates of unemployment, poverty and discrimination, often exacerbated by under-reporting due to the stigmatization this community experiences. .
Gornja Grabovic, a village in southwest Serbia which has existed for a hundred years, has never had the chance to have drinking water. “We had a well, but we couldn't drink the water. On Fridays we went to fill bottles and cans with water at the town market, but in winter it was extremely difficult to get to town,” explains Danijela Markovi?, a woman who has always lived in the village. The nearest town, Valjevo, is 6 km away.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the situation worsened: already limited access to water was cut off, increasing the risk of disease.
Children were particularly affected.
“They faced enormous problems. As the sun set, their world would darken, preventing them from working, playing, or studying. The safety of these children, especially girls, has become a matter of concern and has often had a negative impact on their education,” said Aleksandra Petrovi?, who works for the OHCHR office in Serbia.
The data mapping exercise revealed the plight of the residents of Gornja Grabovica and provided them with much-needed assistance.
The pandemic, a catalyst
Due to the lack of data on Roma communities, it has always been difficult to provide assistance to them. Data mapping work had been planned for some time, but the pandemic and subsequent lockdown made this work even more urgent.
“Almost immediately after the state of emergency was declared, our phones were flooded from morning to evening with calls from all over Serbia desperate for help and information. Our goal was to leave no one behind, ensuring that even the smallest and most remote Roma settlements were considered,” said Dragan Gra?anin, coordinator for Roma issues who was directly involved in the data collection effort.
The villagers of Gorna Grabovica and its surroundings did not have to wait long. The intervention was rapid and made it possible to provide water tanks, essential food products and protective equipment to nearly 2,000 families spread across 19 camps.
Ultimately, the six months devoted to this exercise made it possible to identify 167,975 inhabitants in 702 Roma camps and to distribute 72,000 packages of essential food products, water and protective equipment to Roma households. All data collected as part of the mapping exercise will now be available for future planning work.
Useful work for policies and programs
This data-driven approach was decisive: it made it possible to identify people in serious difficulty and to formulate lasting solutions. Its impact went well beyond the help provided on the spot. By making communities more visible and highlighting their lack of infrastructure, this work has strengthened Serbia's capacity to collect and use data to strengthen human rights efforts for Roma. and development.
“This data was used in the social inclusion strategy for Roma men and women, the Belgrade Roma inclusion strategy and other important documents,” said Slava Denic, former director of SIPRU, the government unit responsible for social inclusion and poverty reduction. They have also been used to update government databases, support joint UN analyzes and underpin several donor-funded projects benefiting Roma populations.
One of the key factors in the program's success has been its collaborative approach. This exercise required several partners, including OHCHR, SIPRU and several donors. On the ground, many people participated in data collection: 40 civil service organizations, 15 UN Roma volunteers and representatives from 94 municipalities. The information was meticulously verified, compiled and updated daily in a database managed by OHCHR and shared with partners.
“The role of OHCHR has been crucial. Not only is he behind the mapping of this data, but he also created an inclusive environment and partnerships with everyone involved,” said Aleksandra Kecojevic of the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, a Serbian education organization. humanitarian and development aid.
Hope, resilience and the power of data on human rights
The immediate results of this mapping project were radical.
The Andra Sav?i? primary school accommodates 40 students in Gorjna Grabovica and has been plagued by a water shortage for years. “We have always had to carry water in large barrels to be able to drink and cook, but the pandemic has brought the water issue to the forefront. Data mapping helped to highlight our immediate needs and raise awareness about our village and its difficulties,” said Danijela Jankovi?, teaching assistant at the school.
Today, the school benefits from a regular water supply.
For Danijela Markovi?, who has lived in Gorjna Grabovica for a long time, life today is unrecognizable.
“My life has changed completely. We now have running water at home, I can wash dishes in my sink. I no longer have to boil well water or wash clothes by hand in the freezing cold. Going to get water from the city taps is a thing of the past. We now live like normal people. »
