On 15 August the Red Cross of Serbia and Commissioner for Protection of Equality organised education session for data collectors in the Red Cross of Serbia headquarters. This was the activity of the project “Older people in rural areas” in Serbia. The trainees came from 11 Red Cross municipal branches: Vrbas, Inđija, Palilula, Kragujevac, Kruševac, Čačak, Valjevo, Knjaževac, Merošina and Aleksinac, including also representatives of Hleb Života NGO who will interview older people in the villages where they live.

The project was started in April 2016, financially supported by UNFPA. The objective of the project is to determine what the needs of older people in rural areas are so that recommendations for decision makers and policy creators can be produced, which will lead to improved situation of older people in rural areas, make access to services easier and reduce discrimination. At the same time, the project is an opportunity for older people to get informed on their rights and how to exercise them.