Dragana lives in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. In 2001, she and her husband had a child who was stricken with diabetes at birth. Sadly, this condition rapidly deteriorated and left the girl blind. As an added burden, Dragana’s husband abandoned the family, unable to accept his responsibility to help care for the little girl. Expensive medication to treat her daughter’s condition coupled with the daily reality of helping this little one cope with a serious physical disability presented a tremendous burden. With the barest of resources the family was managing to make ends meet, living with relatives in a small apartment.
Still, Dragana wasn’t one to despair of working to better herself. She has a special gift for flower arranging and decided to make a go of selling her arrangements on the street. She was required to do this only on the weekends when enforcement of licensing requirements are more relaxed. She could readily expand her business, but unfortunately had no license to sell her products more broadly.
So what would you say? “Get a license, right?” Sounds like a good idea. Well, actually Dragana tried. Unfortunately, licenses are doled out by unprincipled civil servants unwilling to make them available without a bribe for their trouble. Financially, Dragana was unable to pay such a bribe, and on principle didn’t really want to pay it anyway. Such corruption is typical in Serbia. It simply is a way of life.
This is where Integra entered the picture. After some training and through a modest loan, Dragana managed to rent a stall in a local flea market where licensing rules are less restrictive. Out of this stall she sells the beautiful flower arrangements she creates. The business now generates a profit and Dragana has been able to hire her sister-in-law to work at the stall selling clothing, increasing their line of products.
Dragana’s story is like hundreds of others in Integra’s women-at-risk program, now active in Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria. Through business training, loans, and mentoring—and of course hard work—women can meet the basic needs of their families.
As they work with these women, Integra’s staff seek to impact them spiritually. The witness is often quiet and indirect. We work with integrity and kindness in cultures where such traits are conspicuously absent. We take our cue from Jesus’ clear mandate to show concern for those less fortunate in the world. Matthew 9:31-41 sets the tone for us, where Christ bluntly states: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 9:40)
