A serious knee injury has forever, at least he thought so, driven 23 year old Bojan Vukosavjevic from the basketball court. An interrupted career in basketball also meant this young man from Srebrenica, a small town in east Bosnia known for its war tragedies as well as hard post-war life and unemployment, would have no chance in succeeding and following his dreams.

“I was certain that without basketball I have no chance to succeed or ever again be able to do what I love. It’s hard for young people here in Srebrenica to find any kind of work. Then I heard from a friend about the USAID Internship program for the youth in Srebrenica. Today I’m coaching a basketball team “Guber” in Srebrenica. I’m doing what I know best and building a career on the court again, this time in coaching”, Bojan says with a smile. He is one of 60 young internees from Srebrenica who kept his job because the need of the employer was matched with the internee’s knowledge.

The Internship program, implemented by NGO “Friends of Srebrenica”, provided youth with an opportunity to gain practical work experience trough an internship with employers in the region. Young people of Srebrenica who have completed their education but are still unemployed are exposed to invaluable work experience and are able to make connections with potential employers. This project, which began in 2008 and will last until 2010, enables unemployed young people to gain working practice in the period of 3 to 6 months.

“Friends of Srebrenica” created a database of 66 employers in the Srebrenica region interested in participating in the Internship Program. These employers stated they would like to continue to apply this model of internship in their companies after USAID funding expires. Namely, the Internship program covers only the costs of transportation and meal for the internees, but a lot of attention is being given to matching the needs of employers and the unemployed youth. It’s considered that with suitable work practice and practical knowledge, young people are more likely to find a permanent job. It has been shown, however, that the employers have kept more than a third of internees at their jobs after the training was completed, assured by their qualities and professionalism.

Since the surrounding municipalities, Srebrenica and Bratunac, have also shown great interest in the Internship Program for the youth, Friends of Srebrenica are now planning on expanding the program in these two municipalities and successfully connect the young people in the region with employers.

CENTRAL REGISTRATION SYSTEM  FOR SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS LAUNCHED

USAID launched a centralized system for the registration, collection and reporting of social contributions within Republika Srpska’s Tax Administration. The system is part of USAID’s Enabling Labor Mobility project through which USAID is working with local counterparts to reduce barriers to labor mobility in BiH by promoting flexible  labor systems and processes. ELMO works with the Ministries of Finance, Labor and Health,  Read more… (MSWord 205KB)

CEREMONY FOR PARTICIPANTS OF LEGISLATIVE AUDIT STUDY TOUR IN THE UNITED STATES

Fifteen members of BiH state and entities legislature committees, with audit and financial oversight responsibilities, and auditors general will receive Certificates of Achievement for their participation in the Legislative Audit and Media Study Tour to the United States in November 2009.

The USAID Partnership for Advancing Reforms in the Economy (PARE) project organized a study trip to Washington, D.C. for members of the State Parliament and auditors general of the Supreme Audit Institutions in BiH. Read more… (MSWord 209KB)

COOPERATION TO STRENGTHEN INDEPENDENCE OF JUSTICE SECTOR

The USAID Mission Director, Allan Reed, and the President of the BiH High Judicial and

Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), Milorad Novkovic, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation under the Justice Sector Development Project II (JSDP II). This cooperation will strengthen the independence, accountability and effectiveness of the judiciary.Read more… (MSWord 207KB)

USAID AND SIDA: INOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS TO SUPORT DEVELOPING COUNTRY ENTERPRENEURES 

USAID and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) announced a new private-public partnership to support financing to entrepreneurs throughout the developing world. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of USAID, and Anders Nordström, Director General of Sida, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize the collaboration. This event marks the first time that these two development agencies have combined efforts to issue joint guarantees, and plans are already underway to partner on joint guarantees in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Read more… (MSWord 92KB)