Humanitarna organizacija Jesuit Refugee Service

The humanitarian organization Jesuit Refugee Service Belgrade (JRS) is a locally registered JRS office for Serbia. Jointly with offices in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo we are part of internal JRS regional network of South East Europe. Jesuit Refugee Service is an international Catholic organization with a mission to accompany, serve and advocate for the rights of refugees and others who are forcibly displaced. As part of global JRS network we share same values and mission in entire world. JRS operation in Serbia was established back in 1994 to take care of the needs of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons who left their homes during the wars in the Balkans. The office closed in 2001 but was reopened in 2016 to support and help refugees and migrants coming from countries in the Middle East as well as asylum seekers escaping from countries affected by war and looking for safety and protection. During the refugee "crisis" and closing of the so called “Balkan route”, JRS Serboa has started to provide basic support for refugees out of the official asylum system. Basic needs as food, clothes, hygiene products, but most importantly provide information on how to get registered and supported by the authority. While we were daily present in the filed, JRS identified gaps in protection of unaccompanied minors, who were in some cases left to themselves to care. That situation has brought the idea of establishing JRS Integration house for vulnerable categories of refugees. Together with the Serbian Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs (Ministry in charge) and City Centre for Social Welfare of Belgrade we signed a cooperation agreement which made us first ever organization in Serbia, out of official social welfare system, to whom has given authority for childcare in specialized shelter. The House became operational starting from May 2017 on and up to now we have cared for 48 beneficiaries under the age of 15, the most vulnerable one. We have set up mechanisms for unaccompanied minors’ referral system to the Integration house together with the City Center for Social Welfare of Belgrade, but also we have introduced the relevant institutions and other civil society organizations with the manner of work of the Integration house and the protection that will be provided to unaccompanied minors.