Bridging the Digital Gap

Successfully implemented trainings intended for elderly people for the purpose of acquiring and improving their digital skills.

The trainings were organized as part of the project "Reducing the digital gap", which has been implemented by the Red Cross of Serbia in cooperation with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Serbia since April 1, 2024 implemented as part of the "PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature" programme.

During the first three months of the implementation of the project, a total of 131 people completed the training cycle, which is implemented in six cities and municipalities: Kragujevac, Krusevac, Velika Plana, Zajecar, Boljevac and Nis.

Each training participant went through five training sessions covering different topics: from opening an account on the email service, eService (replacing and creating new documents), eGovernance (health and other services), as well as eBanking. This was particularly useful in terms of easier scheduling of appointments for the issuance of ID cards and passports, issuance of birth certificates and citizenship certificates, vehicle registration, access to the "My Doctor" application and social protection services, e-Cadastre, e-Courts , as well as various shopping applications with the application of Internet security measures and prevention of the risk of fraud. Special interest was expressed in the use of e-Real Estate Cadastre. The success of the training was also confirmed through the willingness of the participants to continue their training with new groups.

The added value of the project is reflected in the inclusion of younger participants, i.e. the participation of 34 younger foster mothers from Novi Milosevac, the village with the largest number of foster families in Serbia, as well as cooperation with the Centar za porodicni smestaj dece (Family-type accommodation center) in Velika Plana, therefore expanding the training with an application related to child protection .

These trainings are part of the activities of the "PRO – Local Governance for People and Nature” program, jointly implemented by the United Nations agencies in Serbia - UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNEP, in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia and with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland.