On 8-9 July, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) had the pleasure of contributing to the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation’s (KCSF) fifth edition of the School of Activism, specifically the module on gender mainstreaming.
Nicole Farnsworth and Laurita Morina from KWN co-led the workshop, which brought together 13 representatives of diverse civil society organisations (CSOs) operating in various municipalities across Kosovo, who shared experiences from their work with diverse people and sectors.
Participants discussed key concepts related to gender mainstreaming their actions and policies, including how to integrate a gender perspective into their organisational policies and how to mainstream gender in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation their programmes. Participants discussed strategies and methods for identifying the different needs of diverse women, men, girls and boys, and how they can ensure that their activities and services are inclusive and gender-responsive, or transformative – transforming traditional stereotypes and norms that underpin persisting gender inequalities. They also discussed gender-responsive budgeting and strategies for advocacy related to 2027 budgets.
Through open discussions, practical examples and group exercises, participants reflected on the ways in which a gender perspective can be integrated into organisational structures, project design, communication, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation. They shared experiences from their organisations, how to overcome challenges encountered to date and concrete ideas on how gender can be better included in civil society’s daily work.
During the sessions, one of the participants stated that: “Although I already had some knowledge of gender mainstreaming, this training helped me understand how complex it is and how important it is for the work of civil society organisations.”
We thank KCSF for our continued cooperation towards our shared aim to advance gender equality in Kosovo and beyond! We believe such collaboration is important for strengthening the capacities of civil society organisations as partners in advancing gender equality in practical, inclusive and sustainable ways.
The School of Activism is organised as part of the Resource Center for Civil Society in Kosovo, implemented by KCSF and CBM and co-financed by the European Union and Sweden.
