In rural villages near Cacak, Serbia, vulnerable families are struggling to keep their homes warm during harsh winter months. Danijela Krivokuca, a single mother of six living in Zablace, works tirelessly to ensure her children live and study in safe, heated rooms. With electric heaters unable to warm the entire house, the family relies on a wood-burning fire that must stay lit around the clock, creating constant physical and financial strain. A few kilometres away in Goricani, Snezana Vasiljevic faces similar hardship while raising two high-school students and caring for her disabled son and bedridden husband. Despite working as a home support worker, limited income and poorly insulated windows and doors make it difficult to properly heat their home.
To address these challenges, youth volunteers from the Cacak branch of the Red Cross stepped in to provide practical energy-efficiency guidance. Through a joint programme financed by the Joint SDG Fund and implemented by UNICEF, United Nations Environment Programme, and UN-Habitat, volunteers were trained to advise socially vulnerable rural families on reducing energy consumption, lowering electricity bills, and creating healthier indoor environments for children. The initiative focuses on simple, affordable improvements that can significantly increase warmth and safety.
Each selected household receives practical support materials, including energy-efficient LED bulbs, safety-enhanced extension cords, sealing strips to block cold drafts around windows and doors, and reflective heating panels. Volunteers also conduct basic home energy assessments and explain how small behavioural and technical changes can reduce costs while improving living conditions.
According to local Red Cross representatives, the programme not only assists ten vulnerable families in the Cacak area but also aims to encourage broader community and municipal engagement in improving energy efficiency for low-income households. The initiative strengthens youth participation as well, equipping volunteers with empathy, social responsibility, and leadership skills while fostering long-term humanitarian values.
The programme operates under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator and is part of the Joint SDG Fund’s broader effort to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Supported by contributions from the European Union and multiple partner governments, the initiative demonstrates how coordinated community action can address energy poverty, protect children’s well-being, and promote sustainable development in Serbia’s rural communities.
