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Food

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The UN Food and Agricultural Organization ranked the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as the country with the most difficult food situation in Europe. They estimate that food aid is needed for approximately two million people or about 20% of the population.

In Yugoslavia, 1.5 million pensioners receive only $35 Canadian each per month, more than a quarter of the people are unemployed and the average monthly salary is $80. The grocery bill alone for a family of four costs twice the average salary.

From 1999 to 2001, the Canadian Red Cross in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross provided food to as many as 15,000 people a day at more than 90 distribution centres in the Vojvodina region of Serbia. Many of the recipients were elderly, pensioners, disabled, homeless, unemployed, orphans and single-parent families.

Ontario native Steven Loyst, managed the soup kitchen project in Vojvodina. "I saw so many people confronted by a future that made their dreams obsolete," said Loyst. "Parents have watched their savings collapse and can barely afford to buy groceries. Children go to school hungry and the elderly cannot pay for medicine, heat or electricity. Red Cross soup kitchens are an important source of aid but so much more is needed. I tried to assure them that others are listening in countries like Canada. I hope we can work toward ensuring that all people in the Balkans will soon know a better future."

However, a better reality is still in the distant future for many. Changes in the Yugoslav government have not brought immediate relief to people in need and it will be many years before people will see benefits of these changes. Today, the repeal of price controls, a dramatic increase in the cost of utilities and the introduction of an additional 20 percent tax have exacerbated the hardships already borne by the most vulnerable.

Food Security Pilot Project


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In the Balkans, soup kitchens are a common Red Cross response to food insecurity caused by extreme poverty and conflict. However, soup kitchens are too expensive to sustain beyond the emergency phase and can create dependency that does not serve the population’s long-term well-being.

Six villages in Serbia where the Canadian Red Cross has supported soup kitchens in the past, have been selected to participate in a food security pilot project. Local teams are researching and assessing food security needs of the most vulnerable within their communities in the first phase of the project. In the second phase, these teams will implement sustainable community-based solutions.