Cooperative Agreements Using
Coordinated NGO Efforts

Serbia: Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (2001-2006)

The Community Revitalization through Democratic Action Program, or CRDA, is a five-year, $200 million initiative that fosters good development, building trust between different ethnic and religious groups in Serbia. This civil society program aims to demonstrate the value of citizen participation, support grassroots democratic action and bring an immediate improvement in living conditions. It is a citizen-driven program wherein local communities identify and prioritize the development projects, which they then implement.

Five American nongovernmental organizations, including ACDI/VOCA, America's Development Foundation, Cooperative Housing Foundation, International Relief and Development and Mercy Corps implement the program. Improvements brought to the community include better roads, new schools and clinics, upgraded water treatment facilities and better irrigation systems for farming. The communities themselves contribute an average of 30-35% of improvement project costs on an in-kind basis.

In the first year of implementation, a total of 324 Community Development Councils in 74 municipalities were operational. At the end of the first year, there were 870 projects completed or underway, with an additional 1,000 new projects planned for year two. The Councils themselves are very active and enjoy a broad-based representation, where 33% of the representatives are women, minorities or internally displaced persons. Local apathy is vanishing as citizens become aware of their capacity, with ACDI/VOCA, for example, reporting a 38% increase in attendance at council meetings in the second year of program operations.

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