The Kosovo Women’s Network’s (KWN) Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF) distributed its first round of grants for 2015. KWN members expressed great interest in writing and applying for Individual Advocacy Grants and Networking for Change Grants. During this (7^th) round, KWN received 37 applications and 15 organizations were selected to receive financial support. From these, 7 organizations received Individual Advocacy Grants and 8 organizations will collaborate together through the Networking for Change Grants.
This round was supported from the European Union Office in Kosovo and Austrian Development Agency, totaling €47,947.
On 5 May 2015, KWN organized an Orientation Session for the grant recipients, during which they signed contracts. Grant recipients and their initiatives include the following:

1. The Committee of Blind Women of Kosovo will undertake the initiative “Advocacy for free transportation for blind persons” in the amount of €2,750. They will advocate for better implementation of the Law for Blind Persons No. 04/L-092, especially Article 13, which ensures free urban transportation and a 50% discount on tickets for interurban transportation for persons with disabilities. They also will advocate to the Municipality of Prishtina so that the 51 new busses that the municipality plans to buy will fulfill conditions for blind persons and persons will disabilities to travel with these busses.
2. The organization Women for Women with Disabilities and K.B.K Marsi received a Networking for Change grant for “Integration of persons with disabilities in social and political life” in the amount of €7,060. These two organizations will create an Action Plan for persons with disabilities in Prizren, based on the National Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Republic of Kosovo 2013-2023; and the Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Republic of Kosovo 2013-2017. 
3. The Center for Rural Development in Novo Brdo will undertake the initiative “Promoting rural tourism and cultural heritage in Novo Brdo” in the amount of €2,740. They will advocate to the Regional Agency for Economic Development; as well as at the national level in the Ministry of Trade and Industry for Novo Brdo to be included in guides of Kosovo’s tourist attractions. They also will promote tourism on local and national radios, and they will organize trainings to develop skills on how to lead rural tourism.
4. The Mitrovica Women Association for Human Rights will undertake the initiative “I deserve a leading position” in the amount €2,545. They will work with women assembly members from North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok. By organizing meetings and trainings, they aim to create groups of women assembly members, a network of women assembly members and encourage the appointment of women as directors of departments in their municipalities.
5. The Lawyers Association NORMA and the Center for Women’s Empowerment (CWE) received a Networking for Change grant entitled “Implementing the right of financial support and food (alimony)” in the amount of €7,580. Through this grant they will advocate for better implementation of the right to alimony. They aim for the creation of an Administrative Instruction based on the Family Law in Kosovo, which aims to create a special mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the right to alimony.
6. The Women’s Initiative Association with their project “Women, health and their right reserved by law,” amounting to €2,822, will examine and document issues related to healthcare. These issues include: violations of women’s rights in healthcare, the level of quality of health services and citizens’ awareness of their rights during medical treatments. They also will work towards increasing the awareness of institutions to be accountable and implement the law when addressing violations of women’s right to healthcare.
7. Artpolis and Active Women of Gjakova will cooperate through a Networking for Change grant on “Addressing sexual harassment and building mechanisms for protection in public universities of Prishtina and Gjakova” amounting to €7,600. They will work with students from Prishtina and Gjakova to advocate together in creating mechanisms to address sexual harassment in public universities.
8. Building on best practices in their previous KWF-funded initiative, Partners Kosova will continue working in the field of women’s right to inheritance and property. Their initiative “Women’s advocacy for gender equality, their right to inheritance and property”, in the amount €2,390, will focus on Malisheva and Rahovec. They will work with women, girls and boys, as well as with gender equality officers, representatives from courts and mediation centers for furthering women’s rights to property and inheritance.
9. The Foundation for Education and Development will undertake the initiative “Enough with prejudices,” amounting to €2,350. They will empower women from three communities: Albanian, Serbian and Roma by organizing trainings about women’s role in society, women’s role in decision-making processes and institutions and their role in the family. Representatives of the Municipality also will take part in these trainings. After the trainings, they plan to advocate for women’s rights in this region by organizing meetings with the Mayor of the Municipality and by organizing a roundtable with different stakeholders.
10. The Association Psychotherapists in Action will undertake the initiative “Preventing trafficking of human beings” in the amount of €2,520. They will organize workshops with young people in secondary schools, especially with girls from rural areas, to raise awareness about trafficking and its consequences. They also will meet with the Mayor of the Municipality of Gjilan, the Head of the Assembly of Gjilan, the Regional Director of the Police and other relevant actors to address this issue together.
11. Open Door and Ruka Ruci will continue their successful collaboration through the Networking for Change grant titled “Empowering women through establishment and activation of two women community groups to raise awareness about women’s rights and participation in policy and decision making” with the amount €7,590.