A Simple Trust

BY LAYTON CROFT | October 10, 2002

Country: Serbia

Topic: Peaceful Change

Photo: Layton Croft for Mercy Corps

Ana used to have every reason not to believe those who talked about a better Serbia, about better lives for Serbians. But now she has every reason to believe, because she's the one talking.

For more than a decade, Ana and the 40,000 others in her southeastern Serbian town experienced a perverse kind of reverse development, in the which the communist rule of Slobodan Milosevic, and the international sanctions induced by his regime, triggered devastating social isolation and economic stagnation.

Then, in late 2000, Milosevic's government was voted out of power and a new generation of optimistic leaders took office, promising reform and brighter days ahead.

But rural Serbs like Ana have begun to weary of political promises and pledges, and are beginning to look more within their own communities, and themselves, for the initiative and gumption to catalyze needed change.

It is precisely this belief in oneself that Mercy Corps works to capitalize on across economically depressed southern Serbia. Since July 2001, Mercy Corps has engaged local community groups and citizens committed to change, like Ana, in the USAID-funded Community Revitalization through Democratic Action program.

"When I heard about Mercy Corps, I was so enthusiastic, because somebody remembered our town," she said. "There is a saying, 'The more south you go, the sadder the situation is.' But I believe we are going to do a lot of things here."

Mercy Corps facilitates a participatory prioritization and decision-making process in which community development interests are articulated and responded to, in the form of small infrastructure projects.

Ana is a member of the local Mercy Corps-initiated community development council, which prioritizes community needs and decides how to spend limited funding to address those needs. She brings a refreshing dose of hasty pragmatism to the community development process, and her energy is contagious.

"I just want everything to be solved as soon as possible. I can be impatient," Ana said. "But I haven't always been like this. Maybe it comes with age. I used to be calm and quiet, but not anymore."

On the contrary, Ana is outspoken and aggressive when it comes to mobilizing, and revitalizing her community. She says that Mercy Corps came to her town and promised tangible results. Those promises have been kept, which Ana says gave her more hope than ever. The more she believes in her community, she added, the more she believes in herself.

"Our community development council has made many good proposals like an amusement park and a swimming pool. But the dump is a big issue in our community; it's about 100 meters from my office. Water is also a big problem for us. There are many other problems. What to do? Let's solve them one by one. I know the Mercy Corps staff, and somehow I feel safe with them," Ana said.

After a pause, she adds: "It's simple. I trust them."

[Editor's Note: Ana is a pseudonym.]