Kruševac, 5 March 2026 – With the support of the European Union (EU) and in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Sector for Emergency Management of the Ministry of the Interior, the City of Kruševac, and the Red Cross of Kruševac, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized an event dedicated to strengthening women’s emergency response skills. The event was held as part of the Red Cross’s traditional voluntary blood donation campaign ahead of International Women’s Day, during which more than 600 people donated blood.
Representatives of the City of Kruševac, the EU Delegation to Serbia, the Ministry of the Interior, UNDP, and the Red Cross of Serbia addressed the participants, emphasizing the importance of emergency preparedness and the role of women in safeguarding the safety of local communities.
“Women are among the more vulnerable groups in emergencies, but they are also a key pillar of the family and the local community. That is why this workshop will provide them with practical knowledge and skills in first aid and appropriate response in emergency situations. These are not just skills – they are abilities that can make the difference between fear and safety, between helplessness and action, between life and loss. The City will always support initiatives like this, because investing in the education and safety of citizens means investing in a safer and more humane future for all of us,” said Snežana Radojković, Deputy Mayor of Kruševac.
Maja Vučković Krčmar, Project Manager at the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, stated that this is one of the activities the EU supports to improve the readiness of Serbia’s healthcare system for crises.
“We are modernizing public health laboratories, strengthening the disaster risk management system, and investing in digital health infrastructure. However, working with citizens is equally important – raising awareness and sharing knowledge that can save lives. So far, through these events, we have reached more than 220,000 people across Serbia — from schoolchildren to senior citizens, from volunteers to healthcare workers. This is what EU partnership looks like in practice — not only through investments and infrastructure, but through people and communities becoming more resilient together,” Vučković Krčmar emphasized.
More than fifty women from Kruševac and the surrounding area took part in workshops on emergency response and first aid in situations such as fires, earthquakes, and floods. They also enhanced their knowledge of the importance of voluntary blood donation and maintaining blood supplies in times of crisis. The workshops were delivered by experts from the City of Kruševac’s Department for Defence and Emergency Management Affairs, the Kruševac Health Centre, the Red Cross of Kruševac, and the Niš Institute for Blood Transfusion.
“The times we live in confront us with challenges and threats that are continuously growing and changing. A responsible society must ensure the safety and health of its citizens, and that task requires the coordinated engagement of all of us. Today, we are showing how local self-governments that are aware of their role can respond when needed and, in doing so, firmly take their place within the system, all for the benefit of their citizens,” said Bojan Tomić, Assistant Head of the Sector for Emergency Management of the Ministry of the Interior.
“United Nations reports show that women and children are the most affected by crises, but also that their experience, knowledge, and empathy are invaluable in building more resilient communities. Statistics show that women are often the first to provide help in crises — whether in fires, floods, or earthquakes. That is why it is important that they have the knowledge, confidence, and skills that can save lives,” said Violeta Sretenović, UNDP representative.
During the day, voluntary blood donors and visitors took part at a special stand in a public health, blood donation, and emergency response quiz, as well as in an emergency bag packing exercise, with the support of volunteers.
“All of this carries additional significance in the year when we are marking a major jubilee – 150 years since the founding of the Red Cross of Serbia. A century and a half of existence under the slogan ‘Humanity that Endures’ obliges us not only to preserve tradition, but also to drive change. This means keeping pace with the needs of modern society, investing in knowledge, prevention, and resilience, and empowering precisely those who are the pillar of the family and the community – women,” emphasized Prof. Dr. Dragan Radovanović, President of the Red Cross of Serbia.
On this occasion, EU and UNDP representatives donated a generator to the City of Kruševac Department for Defence and Emergency Management Affairs, which will improve efficiency and operational capacity in situations involving power outages. The Red Cross of Kruševac received a laptop and a speaker with a microphone, which will facilitate the work of volunteers in the field, as well as in situations where rapid communication is of crucial importance.
This event was organized as part of the project “EU for Healthcare in Serbia,” funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Interior.