For almost two decades, nineteen socially vulnerable and displaced persons’ families live in container settlement in Gracanica. According to the inhabitants, they are facing different issues daily, while frequent thefts are the most concerning problem, RTK2 reports.
One more inhabitant joined the settlement recently, the youngest baby-boy Ilija, born a few days ago.
“On Monday, the baby-boy was born. He came home today, so the three of us and a baby now live in 10 square meters,” Zoran Ilic told RTK2.
There are many problems hampering the lives of internally displaced and socially vulnerable persons, living in this settlement. According to them the biggest problem is a lack of warm water in a demolished bathroom.
“We have heating, we do not use firewood. We use electricity for heating, and if there is no electricity it becomes very cold, these containers are made of metal. Toilets are broken, we use one boiler, however, it is in disorder for seven days, and we need to collect the money to repair it,” Zoran Ilic added.
“The social allowances are on a delay. I need to buy medicine, and food, I live on that money. I do not know what this is, allegedly XXI century but we live like we are in XV century. The boiler is not working, we need to heat water in pots, this is how we take a bath,” Svetlana Danic said.
Gracanica municipality and the Provisional Council of Pristina municipality are helping inhabitants with food and heating.
Last year, Gracanica Municipality in cooperation with UNCHR established a working group that is trying to find a permanent solution for the inhabitants of this settlement.
“At the moment we are working on preparing a strategy, we should have one more meeting with UNHCR in the coming days in order to agree on the next steps in resolving this issue,” Slobodan Kostic, from the Gracanica municipality department for health and social aid told RTK2.
