Within the framework of EHO cultural exchange and inclusion activities, beneficiaries of the Asylum Center Vranje visited Vrbas/Serbia on Saturday, November 15, 2025, attending and actively participating in the Ukrainian Folk Song Festival organized by the Cultural-educational association "Karpati" Vrbas, under the auspices of the National Council of the Ukrainian National Minority in Serbia.

The festival, held in the fourth consecutive year, brought together a large number of members of the Ukrainian community from different parts of Serbia and also from Croatia. A special moment of the festival was the performance of Ilija Kornijk, a young beneficiary of AC Vranje and a student of the Music Academy in Niš, who performed two traditional Ukrainian songs, evoking emotions and strong applause from the audience.

After the festival, the participants continued socializing with a joint dinner in the restaurant of the Center for Physical Education (CFK) Vrbas, where they exchanged experiences and talked with members of the Ukrainian community who have been living and working in Serbia for years.

During the visit, the beneficiaries also visited the neighboring town of Kula. The next stop was at the Greek Catholic Parish of St. Josaphat, at the holy liturgy in the Ukrainian language. Our beneficiaries were warmly welcomed by the parish representatives. This visit had a strong emotional significance for many of them, providing a sense of belonging and spiritual closeness in a new environment.

This activity is part of a broader program of social inclusion and cultural networking, which the Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization (EHO) is implementing in cooperation with the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia (KIRS) and with the support of UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief).