CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 120

THE UN “SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME” IN UNPA SECTOR WEST …
A “hospitality ring” was established consisting of a four-room bed-
and-breakfast, a small restaurant, a real estate agency and six private
landlords who rented out rooms. The market for the enterprises was created
by NGO employee´s visits and an increasing number of training seminars
being held in Pakrac.
A “fowl production ring” including a mill and a veterinary station was
established on the Serbian side. Due to the absence of any kind of public
transportation, the two private transport companies were of particular
importance.
A “building production ring” was established including a sawmill that
processed wood delivered by local lumberjacks, a glazier plant, another
carpentry shop and a cement delivery plant. This created jobs and enabled
displaced persons and refugees, who were generally well educated but
lacked tools and opportunities to find work. All equipment was
transportable. It was planned for refugees and displaced persons to take it
with them, if and when they could return home.
UNHCR funds were used to help small businesses gain momentum
within the aforementioned production cycles. One example was the
production of windows used by the Reconstruction Project: wood was
purchased for the sawmill, the processed wood was made into window
frames by the carpenters, and then into finished windows by the glaziers.
These windows were subsequently delivered by the transport company and
purchased for the reconstruction of houses. This way the Reconstruction
Project created a market for young entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs
supported the general population with important goods and services,
including highly needed means of transportation. Such interdependencies
created synergies between the projects and supported the region’s economic
development.
This pilot project was probably the first small business assistance
programme in Croatia building up small businesses and providing basic
knowledge of entrepreneurial concepts, taxes and banking systems. The
project’s impact as a tool of conflict transformation remains elusive, but it
enabled the population to believe in reconstruction and return to “normal”
life.
Women’s Self-Help Projects
In the Serb-controlled part of the Sector a self-help project was
organized by women in the Rahic community. A sew-cooperative was
established. It was intended to employ local women as well as displaced
women from a former sewing factory. CARE funded the renovation work of
the community building of the Serb-Orthodox church and provided the
sewing machines. However, the lack of electricity supply could not be
resolved during the project period. Therefore the sewing machines had to be
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