Vrbas, Serbia, 10 February 2022 – Contracts for twelve purchased village houses were handed over to refugee families in the municipality of Vrbas in Serbia today. The village houses were purchased under sub-projects 8 and 9 of the Regional Housing Programme in Serbia.

In addition to the municipal representatives, the event was attended by Nemanja Starović, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Derek George, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland in Serbia; Vladimir Cucić, the Serbian Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, and Violeta Samardžić, representing UNHCR.

Those present at the event also took the opportunity to visit a new RHP building with 14 apartments, which is currently under construction in Vrbas.

Officials visiting the RHP apartment building under construction in Vrbas, Serbia

Thanking all RHP stakeholders for her new purchased house, RHP beneficiary Mirjana Šišić stated: “I have visited my new home. The house has new carpentry. In front of the house, there is a bench where I will sit when the weather is nice. Behind the house, there is a beautiful garden, where I will plant vegetables and flowers. The house is habitable, and that’s all I need.”

RHP beneficiary Mirjana Šišić

Mirjana Šišić receives the contract for her new home from Derek George

Delivering the contracts to the beneficiaries, State Secretary Starović emphasised that the Serbian Government’s goal was to provide adequate homes for every refugee family in need in the country.

Commissioner Cucić warmly congratulated the beneficiaries on their new homes, stating: “Despite all the hardships that these families have faced, they will at least receive a roof over their heads in this city.”