Assessment of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Activities

The USAID-funded Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (CRDA) project was a landmark project in the development of post-conflict, post-Milosevic Serbia, as well as a milestone for Mercy Corps. For Serbia and the international community, CRDA contributed more financial resources to the people and communities of Serbia than any other single international donor-funded project.

For Mercy Corps, CRDA represented the longest single-donor project to date in the organization’s
portfolio. The project itself was a six-year, $200 million project implemented by five USAID partners throughout the country, each with a budget of $40 million for a specific geographic region. Initially, from 2001-2004, CRDA aimed at increasing citizen participation in and between communities to address their priority needs for social and economic revitalization. Communities identified and prioritized projects in four pillars: i) civic participation, ii) civil infrastructure, iii) environment, and iv) economic development.

This report presents the results of an internal Mercy Corps impact assessment of two programs targeting micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) development: MicroStarts and Employment Expansion. This assessment examines the impact and results of the two programs, the quality of programming, and the future needs and challenges facing MSMEs in Serbia.