PRESS RELEASE
October 17, 2006

Specialized Ethno Network Promotional Exhibition in Serbian Chamber of Commerce

President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS), Mr. Slobodan Milosavljević will open a specialized Ethno Network promotional exhibition on Wednesday, October 18 at 11 a.m. The exhibition is organized within presentation of women’s entrepreneurship in Serbia. Ethno Network gathers fourty groups of women from the entire Serbia who produce crafts in a traditional way, yet designed for modern market. Project of organizing the Ethno Network is being implemented within the “Community Revitalization through Democratic Action – Economy” (CRDA-E) program. The CRDA-E program is funded by the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

PKS will, as a partner in supporting the Ethno Network and women’s entrepreneurship in Serbia, enable presentation of Ethno Network products designed as gifts for business partners. The cooperation with PKS results from Ethno Network efforts to ensure continued sales of crafts by contracting provision of crafts designed for business representation purposes. The opening of the exhibition will host representatives of local export companies, as well as diplomats, local authorities representatives who will present their cooperation with certain groups working under the Ethno Network umbrella as best practice examples to be followed by other municipalities that have craft producers groups on their territory.

USAID’s Ethno Network project has been designed to promote production of handcrafts and antique craft techniques applied in the production of garments, souvenirs and household items, as well as to support production of hand-made crafts as a resilient but unrecognized industry. The exhibition in PKS is one in a set of activities targeting increased sales of handmade crafts and promotion of old antique crafts produced in Serbia.

Initially, Ethno Network gathered women’s groups from Vojvodina and Eastern Serbia where CRDA-E program is being implemented by ADF, and now it includes groups from almost entire Serbia as the initiative was joined by other USAID CRDA-E implementing partners - CHF International, IRD and Mercy Corps. Joint activities currently implemented by these four organizations represent USAID’s consolidated effort to support crafts producers so as to ensure their self-employment.

CRDA-E support to intensive promotion of Ethno Network’s handicrafts aims to ensure support to the Ethno Network project by responsible institutions and local business sector so as to achieve self-sustainability of this initiative. Local institutions need to support this project by providing space for retail sale and continued marketing of crafts.

USAID’s support to Ethno Network through the CRDA-E program has a long-term goal to support vulnerable rural populations (primarily women) as they produce handmade fashion for retail sale both domestically and internationally creating a new brand identity here in Serbia, as well as brand awareness for an entirely new range of Serbian Ethno products.

Media representatives are invited to attend the opening of the exhibition which will take place in Serbian Chamber of Commerce premises (Resavska 13-15, Belgrade), on October 18, 2006 at 11a.m.

“Community Revitalization through Democratic Action – Economy” program is funded by the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

For general information about the CRDA-E program, please cotact Jelene Burgić at 021/522-277, 063/105-72-70 or jelena@adf.org.yu.

SAOPŠTENJE ZA JAVNOST
17. oktobar 2006.

SPECIJALIZOVANA PRODAJNA IZLOŽBA ETNO MREŽE U PRIVREDNOJ KOMORI SRBIJE

Predsednik Privredne komore Srbije (PKS), Slobodan Milosavljević će u sredu 18. oktobra u 11h otvoriti promotivnu izložbu Etno mreže u okviru izložbe i prezentacije ženskog preduzentištva. Etno mreža okuplja četrdeset grupa žena iz cele Srbije koje se bave izradom rukotvorina na tradicionalan način, ali prilagođenih za moderno tržište. Projekat osnivanja Etno mreže realizovan je u okviru programa „Revitalizacija zajednica demokratskim delovanjem – Ekonomija“ (CRDA-E) kojeg finansira narod Amerike u saradnji sa Američkom agencijom za međunarodni razvoj (USAID).

PKS će kao partner u podršci Etno mreži i ženskom preduzetništvu u Srbiji omogućiti predstavljanje proizvoda Etno mreže namenjenih poklonima za poslovne partnere. Saradnja sa PKS je rezultat napora Etno mreže da obezbedi kontinuiran plasman rukotvorina kroz sklapanje ugovora o prodaji rukotvorina u svrhu poslovne reprezentacije. Pored predstavnika domaćih izvoznih preduzeća, otvaranju će prisustvovati i predstavnici diplomatskog kora i lokalnih samouprava koji će predstaviti saradnju sa određenim grupama u Etno mreži kao primere dobre prakse koje mogu slediti i druge opštine u okviru kojih deluju grupe proizvođača rukotvorina.

USAID-ov projekat Etno mreže osmišljen je u cilju promocije proizvodnje rukotovorina i očuvanja starih zanata koji se primenjuju u proizvodnji odevnih predmeta, suvenira i predmeta za domaćinstvo, čime se pomaže proizvodnja rukotvorina koja može da preraste u perspektivnu privrednu granu. Izložba u PKS je jedna u nizu aktivnosti koje za cilj imaju povećanu prodaju i promociju tradicionalnih rukotvorina Srbije.

Etno mreža je u početku okupljala grupe žena iz Vojvodine i istočne Srbije, sa teritorije koju pokriva ADF, a danas pokriva gotovo celu teritoriju Srbije, jer su projektu pristupili i drugi izvršni partneri USAID-a za CRDA-E program koji deluju na području Srbije - CHF International, IRD i Mercy Corps. Zajedničke aktivnosti koje trenutno sprovode ove četiri organizacije odslikavaju usaglašen pristup USAID-a da podrži napore proizvođača rukotvorina u cilju samozapošljavanja.

Intenzivna promocija rukotvorina Etno mreže odražava nastojanje CRDA-E programa da privuče pažnju nadležnih institucija i domaćih privrednika kako bi ova inicijativa postala samoodrživa, jer je neophodno da domaće institucije podrže projekat kroz obezbeđivanje prodajnog prostora i kontinuiranog plasmana rukotvorina.

Podrška USAID-a Etno mreži kroz CRDA-E program ima dugoročni cilj da USAID i izvršni partneri podrže društveno osetljivu ruralnu populaciju (pre svega žene) koje se bave proizvodnjom rukotvorina za domaće i međunarodno tržište stvarajući novu robnu marku u Srbiji i razvijajući svest o postojanju robne marke za čitavu paletu etno proizvoda u Srbiji.

Predstavnici medija su pozvani da prisustvuju otvaranju izložbe koje će se održati u prostorijama Privredne komore Srbije (Resavska 13-15, Beograd), 18. oktobra 2006. sa početkom u 11h.

Program „Revitalizacija društva demokratskim delovanjem“ (CRDA-E) finansira narod Amerike u saradnji sa Američkom agencijom za međunarodni razvoj (USAID).

Za opšte informacije o CRDA-E programu molimo vas da kontaktirate Jelenu Burgić na 021- 522 277 ili jelena@adf.org.yu

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