Support for marginalized groups in Tetovo includes financial assistance for families facing economic hardship, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and communities at risk of social exclusion. Municipal documents for 2025 and 2026 include programs for these categories, and initiatives to improve the accessibility of public spaces and develop social services were announced during 2026. However, to evaluate the results, it is necessary to distinguish between planned funds, actual expenditures, and the number of citizens who received support.
The Social Budget: What Do the Figures Show?
The Municipality of Tetovo’s program for 2025 includes several specific funding categories for social protection. According to the municipal social protection program for 2025 (Official Gazette No. 17, published on December 31, 2024, page 75 of the document), 2.5 million denars have been allocated for financial assistance to low-income families, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and other groups at social risk.
The same program allocates 3 million denars to support persons with disabilities, 1 million denars for local non-governmental organizations working in the field of social protection, and 1 million denars for educational and preventive programs. An additional 3 million denars is earmarked for one-off financial assistance in the form of vouchers for individuals at social risk.
These five categories total 10.5 million denars planned for 2025. This figure covers only the listed categories and does not necessarily represent the municipality’s total social budget. Furthermore, the planned funds do not constitute proof that the entire amount was actually spent.
For 2026, the Municipality of Tetovo published its new program of activities regarding social protection in Official Gazette No. 24, issued on December 31, 2025. The social protection program begins on page 60 of the PDF document, while the program for the inclusion of the Roma community and other marginalized groups is found on pages 66–67. This is the relevant document for planning in 2026.
People with disabilities: Obstacles in public spaces
In addition to financial assistance, access to sidewalks and public institutions is a significant issue for people with disabilities. In a report published in September 2026, TV21 addressed mobility challenges in Tetovo and the municipality’s initiative to lower sidewalk curbs.
According to the report, approximately 650 people with disabilities are registered in Tetovo. The article highlights obstacles on sidewalks and difficulties accessing institutions, including the Center for Social Work and the Tetovo Clinical Hospital. The municipality announced the launch of an initiative to create more accessible crossings for wheelchair users.
This intervention aims to improve physical access to public spaces. However, the report does not specify the total cost of the work, the number of locations modified, or the number of individuals who directly benefited. Consequently, the financial impact of this measure cannot be calculated based solely on the published information.
In-home assistance and care services
Another initiative concerns the provision of social services for individuals requiring support in their daily lives. On March 3, 2026, the Municipality of Tetovo issued a public call for home-based assistance and care services.
According to the announcement, the project is being implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography, and Youth, with the “Millennium” Citizens’ Association from Tetovo serving as the service provider. The project is supported by a World Bank grant.
Such services can be particularly important for the elderly, persons with disabilities, and citizens requiring assistance with daily activities. However, the public call does not specify the number of individuals who have received the service to date, the total funding value for its implementation in Tetovo, or the amount directly covered by the municipal budget.
Inclusion of the Roma community and other marginalized groups
For 2026, the Municipality of Tetovo has adopted an annual work program aimed at the inclusion of the Roma community and other socially marginalized groups. The program appears in the Official Gazette of the Municipality of Tetovo (No. 24), on pages 66–67 of the PDF document.
The adoption of the program demonstrates that the social inclusion of these groups is part of the municipality’s institutional planning. However, assessing its implementation requires data on the activities carried out, the funds expended, and the number of beneficiaries. The mere existence of a program is not sufficient to prove that all planned measures have been implemented.
What do the publicly available data show?
The municipal document for 2025 allocates 10.5 million denars across five categories related to social support. For 2026, there is a new municipal social protection program, as well as a program for the inclusion of the Roma community and other marginalized groups. Initiatives were also announced in 2026 to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities and to develop home-based assistance and care services.
However, the available data do not provide a complete overview of actual expenditures across all categories for 2025 and 2026. There is also a lack of consolidated data regarding the number of families receiving financial aid, voucher recipients, users of social services, and the specific outcomes of inclusion programs.
Author: Angel Stojanovski
This activity is supported by the CIVICUS Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI)