I.A.N. International Aid Network

IAN is a local non governmental organization established in 1997, during the war on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Huge number of refugees without homes has motivated a lot of international and local organization to provide humanitarian aid for those people. IAN understood that several civil wars in our country would have strong, long term consequences on mental health of all people, especially of refugees and internally displaced people who were under the biggest pressure at that moment. Because of that IAN has decided to undertake activities including protection and promotion of mental health of those people through establishing Trauma centre - service for free of charge psychological support.

Trauma Centre later extended its activities to cover local population, since the years of war and poverty had also left traces on them. The number of beneficiaries has grown over time, justifying thereby the need for such service.

War in Kosovo, NATO bombing of the country and humanitarian crisis that followed, brought completely new challenges. During that time, IAN developed six more psychosocial centres in Serbia, while organising distribution of humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons from Kosovo, who sought refuge in Serbia. Aid included clothing and hygienic items, medicines and food. Approximately 50,000 IDPs received some form of help through IAN’s offices.

As an organisation dedicated to the beneficiaries, IAN has realised that only a comprehensive approach in helping those people could have strong impact on their lives and we decided to establish other services to help them plan their future. First, we established a centre for comprehensive approach (medical, psychological, legal and psychiatric help) to victims of torture, especially war torture. IAN Centre for Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (CRTV) started to work in September 2000. At the present moment, merged services of Trauma Centre and CRTV receive approximately 800 clients per year.