Little London


Over 120 Gypsy families in need live in colony Little London in Pancevo for years.
Some of them live in extremely bad conditions - without power and water, without
windows in spaces they live in... Among them, there are persons with permanent
invalidity who need special treatment. However, before all because of negligence
residents of this colony alone and partly because of neglecting of society, this
colony is one of the neediest together with so-called "Box colony" in New Belgrade.
One person, with permanent invalidity, which Pancevo citizens can often meet on
streets begging, is in the worst condition. Answering our question what is his
preoccupation, her husband told us that his job is to take her to beg on the street in
the morning and to get her back in the afternoon. The same person does not get
almost anything for that. Several times, ADRA's representatives found her without
food all day long even though she spends hours and hours on streets begging for
mercy, which somebody else collects at the end. One more sad fact is that above-
mentioned person (whose name we will not mention for the privacy sake) does not
have any valid documents and it is very hard to get one because of administrative
obstacles.
On July 6, ADRA has delivered 140 humanitarian parcels, 2 wheelchairs and 1
computer that were asked by representatives of the colony so that they could
perform the evidence of residents of their colony and help them register in the
citizenship books.

   

Reporting from places such as this one, we want, above all, to call public attention
to poverty and problems, which follows our citizens without our awareness. Not
only for the sake of being informed, but for the sake of involving in helping needy
people - by giving financial help and, like in these cases, educating and training for
independent life in better conditions. If our society does not go this way,
humanitarian organizations as ADRA, no matter how numerous they are, as well as
some governmental institutions, will never be able to solve these problems. In this
field of life, all citizens must work with joint efforts in their environments.