As a result of communities' advocacy efforts, the City of Zagreb is cleaning and covering a polluted canal that runs through the heart of Kozari Put and Kozari Bok.
"This is a neighborhood with big problems. But the city and neighborhood leaders are doing a lot of very visible things. There are changes for the better every day."
- Ervin Poljak, NGO Friend
Citizens advocate for change
With USAID assistance and training, NGO Friend helps empower residents of a poor neighborhood to advocate for necessary changes.Kozari Put and Kozari Bok is a neighborhood located in an industrial area on the southern edge of Zagreb, Croatia's capital. Many disadvantanged people including refugees, retirees, veterans and Roma are among the 18,000 residents who struggle to meet basic needs. The combination of poor infrastructure, lack of jobs, and ethnic and social division results in a sense of desperation and, at times, tension. Friend, a local NGO that has been working in this neighborhood for over 10 years, helped residents improve quality of life and create a new sense of empowerment among residents.
When Ervin Poljak, Project Manager at the Friend NGO, returned from a USAID training in Poland, he quickly used what he learned to help the residents of Kozari Bok and Kozari Put to better organize themselves and advocate for necessary changes in their community.
With USAID assistance, the Friend NGO conducted seminars that helped residents decide what improvements were most important. All neighborhood leaders and groups participated in creating a community strategic plan, including local government representatives.
Using their strategic plan, community leaders advocated for change. As a result of their work, the City of Zagreb recently broke ground on a major renovation plan to improve the infrastructure. The plan includes school improvements, cleaning up public spaces, cleaning and covering a polluted drain canal that bifurcates the neighborhood, as well as building a much-needed community center. In addition, a new community board will be elected to voice neighborhood needs to city leaders.
The creation of a foundation is the final step to an action plan developed by the Friend NGO upon return from USAID's training program. Conceived as an NGO, the foundation will raise community funds and work with the community board and city government on programs.
According to Poljak, though progress is slow, changes are getting easier with all the improvements going on.
Story provided by: World Learning
