Pomoc deci (CYSO Children and Youth Support Organisation) is a Serbian NGO established as a local NGO in 2004. Prior to that, for a year and a half, it operated as a Serbian office of an American NGO Christian Children’s Fund Inc (now ChildFund International).

Our mission is to create an environment of hope and respect for children and youth, where they

have opportunities to achieve their full potential, and to provide children, youth, parents and communities with practical tools for a positive change. It is a developmental organisation with rich experience in analysing the situation in the field, developing and executing long-term projects and programmes. Since its establishment, Pomoc deci has been working together with other NGOs and developing their skills through a learning by doing approach.

In its work, it concentrates on ECD and provision of the quality ECD for all children, on elementary and secondary school education and the development of social and financial skills of children and young people, on young people and their nonformal education, mobilisation and activism, but it also works closely with teachers, school heads, parents and other NGOs.

Within ECD field, Pomoc Deci was the National Coordinator for Serbia in the European campaign “First Years, First Priority” led by Eurochild with European Public Health Association, International Step by Step Association and Roma Education Fund. It has been also a leading organisation and partner in several Erasmus+ Projects focussing on early years from different angles and prospects.

Pomoc deci is a member of several Serbian and international networks (EUROCHILD, International Network for Peacebuilding with young children, WWSF Children – Youth Section, Aflatoun International, EPA, IPA, EPTO) and has developed a regional PRECEDE Network for peace-building and reconciliation through early childhood education and development. It also has strategic partnership agreements with Ministry of Education, as well as with several NGOs from the Balkan Region.

Pomoc deci (CYSO Children and Youth Support Organisation) has been working on establishing the model for multisectoral approach to ECD since 2009. It successfully lobbied for amendments in the national legislation relevant to early years and for cooperation between the health and educational sectors in enabling access of all young children to all health and educational services. It participated in the development of the Manual for the development of the local networks for ECD and delivered training to the initially formed local networks. It participated in the development of the shadow report to UN CRC in 2017, preparing the part related to the implementation of the UN General Comment number 7 in Serbia. CYSO has 5 fully employed staff, around 15 volunteers active in ECD and has been working with around 25 Preschool institutions in Serbia on regular basis.