Bosko and Sokol: Stories of Dedication and Growth

For Bosko Djordjevic, a 42-year-old beekeeper from Vërbeshticë/Vrbeštica in the Municipality of Shtërpcë/Strpce, and Sokol Peci, a 58-year-old farmer from Zhazhë/Žaža in the Municipality of Zveçan/Zvečan, agriculture is essential to their survival and their families’ futures. Despite their different paths, both men have faced similar challenges in their journeys to sustain their families and communities. 

Through IOM's Community Stabilization Programme (CSP), funded jointly by the Ministry for Communities and Return and the European Union, people assisted like Bosko and Sokol are selected through a rigorous evaluation process that considers their potential for employment creation, business feasibility, and long-term sustainability.  

For Bosko, farming has been part of his life since childhood. Before venturing into beekeeping, he worked with cattle and sheep, but market challenges led him to try something new — beekeeping. Over the past eight years, Bosko has built a small beekeeping operation, producing honey to support his wife and two children. Yet, without the right tools, he faced slow progress, relying on manual labour for every step.  

“I didn’t have anything—no canister, no centrifuge. Everything was done manually,” he recalls. 

IOM supported Bosko with assistance that included essential tools for beekeeping: a canister, a working desk for frames, an electric wax melter, and a centrifuge. With this equipment, he can now work more efficiently, expand his bee colonies, and start planning for a more sustainable future. 

“When a person has equipment, it’s easier to work,” he says. While his 18-year-old son is focused on school, Bosko is hopeful that one day he might join the family business. 

Similarly, Sokol, a retired worker supporting a family of 13, including his sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, struggled with outdated farming methods. His farm includes 13 cows and fields of wheat, corn, peppers, and tomatoes, which provide both income and food for the family. But without modern equipment, even basic tasks required significant time and effort.

Earlier, we did everything with our hands,” Sokol explains. “Now, with tools such as milking pump, rotary mower, spreader for fertilizer, sprayer and plough all the work can be done within a day.” The assistance made a significant difference in his life and work, allowing him to work more efficiently and plan for his family’s future.  

“I would never have been able to purchase something like this with my income,” he says. 

The Community Stabilization Programme has supported more than 1,500 individual and community projects since 2002. For assisted individuals like Bosko and Sokol, this means not just receiving tools but gaining access to a network of support that helps them overcome market challenges and build sustainable livelihoods that benefit their entire communities.  By addressing specific challenges and providing practical support, programmes like CSP help families like Bosko’s and Sokol’s build a more secure future.