Today, 27 September, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) officially announced grant awards for additional 11 beneficiary organizations in Kosovo, provided through the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), amounting €158,985 in total. The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) provided support via KWN’s “Further Advancing Women’s Rights in Kosovo II”, co-funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through the Embassy of Sweden in Prishtina in the amount of €49,673.

Through this round, the European Union Office in Kosovo has also provided support via KWN’s initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics” in the amount of €90,733; as well as the United Nations Population Fund in Kosovo (UNFPA) has provided funding via KWN’s initiative “Expanding Choices: Gender-Responsive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans and Moldova”, financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation in the amount of €18,579.

These initiatives will directly contribute to the implementation of the current KWN Strategy for 2019-2022, which was drafted together with KWN members.

KWF grant beneficiaries supported by ADA, co-funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Prishtina are:

• Gruaja Hyjnore with the initiative: “Sexual education as a subject in primary and secondary schools” (€4,974)
• Humanus Vita with the initiative: “Raising awareness among youth about sexual harassment and assaults and the importance of early reporting” (€4,754)
• Center for the Promotion of Women’s Rights with the initiative: “Psychosocial services for women who experienced sexual violence during the war in Kosovo” (€4,006)
• Handikos Mitrovica with the initiative: “Reproductive health and sex education for women and girls with disabilities in the municipality of Mitrovica” (€4,432)
• Women’s Association Jeta with the initiative: “Empowering women and youth to prevent gender-based violence in line with the Istanbul Convention” (€4,846)
• Women’s Association Ura Sociale with the initiative: “Raising awareness for prevention of sexual harassment” (€4,317)
• Instituti i Psikologjisë Aplikativewith the initiative: “Supporting teenage girls overcome social and emotional problems” (€4,188)
• Norma Lawyers Association with the initiative: “Learn and act, for a life free of gender-based violence” (€4,970)
• Women’s Center ATO with the initiative: “Reproductive health education” (€4,552)
• Women’s Association Gruaja Fermere with the initiative: “Sexual education for youth” (€3,705)
• Zensko Pravo with the initiative: “Prevention of violence against women in northern Kosovo” (€4,927)

KWF has awarded a total of 34 grants in this round. Read HERE the announcement of 23 grant beneficiaries supported by the EU and UNFPA.

KWN’s KWF provides small grants to women’s organizations that do not have access to other sources of funding and who seek to work for women’s rights and gender equality, prioritising funding for groups working in rural areas and/or marginalized persons. Since 2012, KWF has allocated 227 grants, supporting 122 organizations, with a total amount of €1,170,452. In 2021, KWF receives support from the European Union, ADA, Sida, UNFPA, and the Sigrid Rausing Trust.