Support in Serbia

Nova Crnja

Many young families have left the Nova Crnja region in Serbia's north. The elderly and socially disadvantaged have stayed behind. Elisabeth Fessl de Alemany has done a lot of good here with the help of the foundation. Her projects are being continued with passion by Harald Vollmer and Devrim Huys

Young families leave the region

The area around Nova Crnja is one of the poorest regions in Europe. Those who can, emigrate to Hungary, Austria and Hungary. Less and less families with children live here. The elderly and many disadvantaged families are being left behind.

At the same time, the cost of living is rising while incomes are stagnating. The welfare state is unreliable. Some children do not get warm meals. Old people live in catastrophic conditions.

Hot meals for schoolchildren

Many parents are too poor to provide their children with a warm meal each day. The schoolchildren at the school in Nova Crnja receive a minimum of balanced nutrition. Thanks to a warm lunch it is possible to concentrate - it is difficult to learn on a growling stomach.
The Csilla von Boeselager Stiftung has been supporting these school meals for over 15 years.

Bicycles for the school run

There is no school bus. The distance to school is sometimes over 5 kilometres long. If the parents do not have their own car, it is difficult to get to school.

Our project sponsor Harald Vollmer has been using every spare minute for many years to purchase and repair old bicycles in Germany, which he then sends to Serbia. This enables the children to get to school safely and on time.

Migration and neglect: The challenges in Nova Crnja

Nova Crnja and the surrounding villages are rural in character. There is hardly any industry. Many young people have left the region in the last 20 years due to a lack of prospects. What remains are mainly the elderly, the sick and socially disadvantaged families, often with children who have disabilities. Elderly care homes do not exist. There are many old and sick people who have no relatives in the area. Pensions are extremely scarce. Medical care is very limited.

Mobile care for the elderly and sick

We have been providing home care for elderly and sick people in the municipality of Nova Crnja for over 12 years. This means that these people do not have to move to distant retirement homes, but can live in dignity at home.

Three geriatric carers look after the essentials for the people, some of whom are bedridden. They provide food, cook and grant medical assistance. Personal closeness to the elderly people plays an important role.

Zrenjanin

There is a dedicated voluntary Red Cross organisation in the town of Zrenjanin in the north of Serbia. Our project sponsor Harald Vollmer supports the helpers with equipment from Germany.

Equipping the Zrenjanin Red Cross

The aim of this project is to equip the volunteers in the rescue service with rescue service clothing. Medical training material makes it possible to carry out first aid training.

In 2024, not only rescue service equipment was donated. Raffinerie Ruhr Oel Gmbh BP Gelsenkirchen donated all of the bandages and medical equipment from the disbanded ambulance. The material donated so far amounts to around 15,000 euros.

Vojvodina

Harald Vollmer has seen many poorly equipped fire brigades in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina. With expertise and meticulousness, he organised the equip those fire brigades with important equipment from Germany.

Support for Serbian fire brigades

Harald Vollmer has been supporting Serbian volunteer fire brigades in the towns and cities of northern Serbia for many years. With a great deal of expertise, he identifies the needs of the fire brigades and organises equipment from Germany. This starts with the firefighters' personal equipment and ends with entire fire engines, which he receives as donations in Germany and transfers to Serbia.

But his work does not end there. He looks after the fire brigade groups on a long-term basis. He is in constant dialogue and ensures that the donated supplies are well looked after and used properly.

In this way, Harald Vollmer supports the fire brigade groups in the long term. He strengthens the motivation and team spirit and makes an important contribution to saving lives in the entire Vojvodina region.