Give the Gift Life: Give Blood!

On March 8th, Give the Gift Life: Give Blood!

04.03.2013

This International Women’s Day, give women the best gift of all: life.
The Kosovo Women’s Network, supported by the National Center for Blood Transfusion, invites you to donate blood on March 8th at 12:00 in Mother Tereza Square in Prishtina.
Your donation will help improve women’s access to quality healthcare in Kosovo.

19.03.26

Applying a Gender Lens: Erkenda Begins Her Internship at KWN

03.03.26

Motrat Qiriazi: Women’s Activism in Kosovo Since the 1990s Told in Book

27.02.26

Empowering Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities to Address GBV and TFGBV

25.02.26

Breaking the Silence: Gender Justice in Northern Kosovo

13.02.26

Under threat, and resilient

13.02.26

The Double Life of Growing Up Online and Being Safe

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Youth in Prishtina join the One Billion Rising global campaign to end violence against women and girls.

Kosovo Joins One Billion Rising

04.03.2013

On 14 Feb., Kosovo joined 207 countries,marking V-day in the largest global action to end violence against women and girlsin history.
To mark the 15th Anniversary of V-Day, organizers launched V-Day’s most ambitious campaign to date, One Billion Rising.

“One Billion” derives from the statistic that one in three women experience violence in their lifetimes, and thus more than one billion women around the world have been impacted by violence.

The 2013 worldwide V-Day campaign encouraged one billion women and the people who love them to “Walk out, Dance, Rise up and Demand” an end to violence.
“It is one of the most attractive campaigns I have seen so far,” said Fitore, a participant in Kosovo’s One Billion Rising Event,“and I think that it has had a great impact.”

Volunteers ages 15 to 17 organized Kosovo’s event. The organizing committeeinvolved members of media group Kosovo 2.0 and the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN). They created a One Billion Rising Kosovo Facebook page, and Kosovo 2.0 covered the event.AlbulenaShabani, an Albanian artist from Macedonia produced a promotional video. Two young organizers, Lindi and Andrea,performed a cover of Rita Ora’s song “Shine Ya Light” with a special shout out to One Billion Rising.

One Billion Rising Kosovo gathered men and women in Striking, Dancing and Rising at an outdoor street party on the platform of Pristina’s Youth Palace, DJ’d by OdaHaliti. Young and old joined the party, demonstrating their resistance to violence against women.
“Why don’t we have events like this more often?” A ten-year-old girl exclaimed. “Dancing in the streets is an excellent way to raise our voices about big issues like,” other participants agreed.

V-Day, held on Valentine’s Day, is a global activist movement that aims to end violence against women and girls. It involves different events aimed at increasing awareness, securing funds and supporting the work of anti-violence organizations. Through V-Day campaigns, volunteers and students have produced performances such as The Vagina Monologues; A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer; and other documentaries.

10.12.18

Media’s Role in Reporting Domestic Violence

12.02.14

ONE BILLION RISING

21.01.14

“Know Your Rights” Campaign Uses Culture to Education Citizens about Rights

04.03.13

Kosovo Joins One Billion Rising

04.03.13

Municipality of Dragash Establishes Mechanism against Domestic Violence

21.01.13

Citizens March, Condemning Domestic Violence

Municipality of Dragash Establishes Mechanism against Domestic Violence

04.03.2013

Civil society representatives, the local gender equality officer and police in the Municipality of Dragash knew they needed a mechanism for reporting domestic violence. Domestic violence exists within their municipality, but people hesitate to denounce it.

Due to Dragash’s high mountain location, far from opportunities for higher education, women there tend to have lower levels of education. This limits their economic and thus social freedom. They feel “controlled and managed” by the unwritten social rules that preside there, said women’s rights activist GjejraneLokaj from the Women’s Initiative Association, a KWN member organization. She and other civil society representatives, the gender equality officer and police decided to bring these issues to the attention of local and international institutions.

They found support from UN agencies, which piloted a project on gender-based violence in Dragash. The UNDP-supported Municipal Coordinator against Domestic Violence organized regular meetings among civil society, international organizations, police, judicial institutions, municipal directors of different departments, decision making bodies and other actors dealing with this issue. These meetings resulted in the establishment of a Mechanism against Domestic Violence, involving the aforementioned actors. The mechanism has elected its leadership, and is creating its own official documents, which will make the mechanism official and enable it to continue its work on a legal basis.

Potential victims of domestic violence can contact the Mechanism’s members. “Our names are public and we are close to citizens, in order to make reporting violence easier,” Gjejrane said, as one of the mechanism’s founders. “One of our mottos is: it’s not a shame to be a victim of violence; it’s a shame to be a perpetrator, so please denounce violence.”

In November-December 2012, the Mechanism’s members carried out an awareness-raising campaign against domestic violence, targeting students from 6th grade to high school, school directors and women’s groups. They have since seen shifts within their society.
“The motivation and will to end violence was extensive,” Gjejrane said. “Reporting of domestic violence has increased, as has the awareness of potential victims and of people who assist potential victims. This topic is no longer taboo. People no longer have prejudices, and they often have concrete ideas on how to prevent it.”

The Mechanism’s members also have advocated successfully for a comfortable interview room at the municipality’s police station, as well as a room with toys for children for when they meet parents who do not possess child custody.

In the future, they plan to address gender-based psychological violence, particularly in the workplace; advocate for more women to join the police force in Dragash municipality (the only police women travels daily and thus is not always available to respond to violence); and contribute to creating a police database for recording cases of violence in the municipality.

10.12.18

Media’s Role in Reporting Domestic Violence

12.02.14

ONE BILLION RISING

21.01.14

“Know Your Rights” Campaign Uses Culture to Education Citizens about Rights

04.03.13

Kosovo Joins One Billion Rising

04.03.13

Municipality of Dragash Establishes Mechanism against Domestic Violence

21.01.13

Citizens March, Condemning Domestic Violence

Kosovo Women’s Fund Grants Available

04.03.2013

On 15 Feb. 2013, KWNannounced the opening of the Kosovo Women’s Fund’s second grant round. KWN has invited its member organizations to submit applications that will contribute to realizing the Strategic Goals identified by KWN members in the KWN Strategic Plan for 2012-2014.

This grant round has received funding fromthe Austrian Development Agency (ADA) with additional support from Kvinna till Kvinna (KtK).

The deadline for submitting applications is 15 Mar. 2013. KWN will announce grant recipients by 15 Apr. 2013.The maximum grant award possible is €3,000, and KWN expects to provide up to €20,000 in grants this round. The duration of projects should not exceed six months.

Funding decisions will be made by the Kosovo Women’s Fund Grant Review Committee, elected by KWN members.KWN will accept applications in Albanian and Serbian languages.

For more information, visit the KWN website at: http://www.womensnetwork.org/?FaqeID=33. KWN staff are available to provide further information to members as needed; appointments can be made by contacting info@womensnetwork.org or calling KWN at 038 245 850.

08.04.14

KWN Releases 2013 Annual Report

07.04.14

KWN Organizes Workshop: “Women Advocate Locally”

03.03.14

Members Gather for Bimonthly Meeting

05.02.14

Individual Member Innovative in Supporting KWN

04.02.14

Members, Stakeholders Evaluate Positively KWN’s Work

07.01.14

KWN Exchanges Experiences with Activists in Austria

Ariana Qosaj Mustafa, recently elected KWN Board Chair, attends the KWN Annual Membership meeting.

KWN Elects New Board Chair

04.03.2013

KWN held its first board meeting for 2013 on 15 Jan., during which board members elected the new KWN Board Chair: ArianaQosaj Mustafa. ElmazeGashi was elected Deputy Chair. They will serve two-year terms.

Board members also discussed installing membership fees for network members in order to support KWN’s numerous initiatives, members’ activities and services provided to members. The Board decided that KWN could start collecting membership fees in the amount of €20 per year.

After this, Nicole Farnsworth, KWN Program Manager, informed the board about recent changes made to the KWN Policy Manual as per the Kosovo Labor Law.

Board members also discussed the KWN Conflict of Interest Policy. They agreed that if KWN partners with organizations led by members of the Board or if other potential areas of conflict of interest arise (as defined by this policy), such issues must be discussed and approved by the Board. Based on this decision, Elmaze Gashi presented the project that Alter Habitus, an organization she leads, plans to undertake together with KWN. It involves research entitled “Where is the Money for Women’s Human Rights”. Since the research will contribute to the KWN Strategy, the Board decided that KWN and Alter Habitus could move forward with this collaboration.

Finally the Board discussed and agreed that KWN could open a new bank account for KWN’s sustainable, unrestricted fund. Towards KWN’s sustainability, the account will hold financial resources that are not already supported by donors. KWN will raise funds for this account through membership fees, fundraising events and individual donors (e.g., in the United States through the East-West Management Institute).

For more information, contact: info@womensnetwork.org.

08.04.14

KWN Releases 2013 Annual Report

07.04.14

KWN Organizes Workshop: “Women Advocate Locally”

03.03.14

Members Gather for Bimonthly Meeting

05.02.14

Individual Member Innovative in Supporting KWN

04.02.14

Members, Stakeholders Evaluate Positively KWN’s Work

07.01.14

KWN Exchanges Experiences with Activists in Austria

Igballe Rogova, KWN Executive Director, shares information with network members.

Members Gather for Bimonthly Meeting

04.03.2013

Approximately 75 people attended the KWN bimonthly meeting on 4 Feb. 2013. Participants included KWN member organizations, donors, board members and other supporters.

The meeting began with a greeting from the newly elected KWN Board Chair, ArianaQosaj Mustafa. “Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the women’s movement,” she said. She thanked ElmazeGashi for her contribution as the prior Board Chair, from 2011 to 2012.
   
Then Aida Dërguti from the Vetëvendosje Movement shared information about Women’s Week, organized by the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Approximately 100 women representing political parties, institutions and NGOs attended. NDI also plans to organize a Women’s Leadership Academy in 2013; 30 participants will be selected to attend the Academy.
   
KWN Executive Director IgballeRogova thanked Kvinna till Kvinna (KtK) for their trust and support for KWN to establish the Kosovo Women’s Fund and for continuing their support in 2013. “I would also like to thank the KWN members who were awarded grants and brought successful results; and the KWN members who did not receive grants, but who understood,” she said. She emphasized that through the Kosovo Women’s Fund KWN “not only helps member organizations financially, but also offers training for them to build their capacities, based on their needs.”
   
KWN Project Coordinator AlbertinaBinaku provided detailed information about the Kosovo Women’s Fund’s planned grant rounds for 2013. “All members received support in project proposal writing through workshops, and this support will continue in 2013 so that they can write better projects,” she said.
   
KWN Public Relations Coordinator NertilaQarri then announced changes to the KWN website, which now includes a section with information about our members and the Kosovo Women’s Fund. She emphasized that KWN continues to use its Facebook Page,Facebook Group, and new website (www.womensnetwork.org) to share information about the women’s fund.
   
Since KWN and its members have established an annual tradition of organizing a protest marking 8 Mar., International Women’s Day, IgballeRogova opened a discussion on how to mark this day in 2013. Participants decided that the advocacy theme this year will be women’s access to quality healthcare, and that citizens will be invited to donate blood, assisting Kosovo’s weak healthcare system. This action will be held on 8 Mar. at 12:00 at Mother Teresa square in Prishtina.

Other information shared at the KWN bimonthly meeting included:

• KWN will organize a Gala Event involving famous actresses and singers where people will be invited to support KWN’s work. KWN
  member LIRA women’s choir will also perform.

• Through the Regional Women’s Court, a feminist approach to justice, women activists in Kosovo and the region continue to raise their
  voices, demanding justice for women raped during the war. As part of this regional initiative, an unofficial Women’s Court was established
  as a form of tribunal where women have space to tell their personal stories.

• The Kosovar Center for Fighting Breast Cancer JETA/VITA in Pristina continues to organize activities to raise awareness among women
  and institutions about this issue.

• Women’s Center Liria in cooperation with the Mayor of Gjilan and the Women’s Caucushas established a coordinating mechanism
  related to domestic violence. The group has started drafting a strategy to financially support the shelter in the Municipality of Gjilan, so that
  it will have a sustainable fund for providing services to domestic violence victims by 2014.

• The Women’s Initiative Association, in cooperation with the Mayor of Dragash and the Women’s Caucus, has establisheda mechanism
  against domestic violence in the Municipality of Dragash.

• The Association for Women with Disabilities Women for Womeninformed members that the Action Plan for Gender Equality has been
  approved in Prizren. They are forming a monitoring groupto follow its implementation.

• The Foundation for Development and Educationimplemented a project in the Municipality of Novoberdo in 2012, through which they
  opened a store where women work and sell their products, including handcrafts and jams. She requested that members with sewing
  machines that they are not using donate these for women in need.

• “ATO” in Vushtrri implemented two successful projects in 2012, one about education and the other about health, including reproductive
  health.

• “Hendifer”offers services for women. They work on a voluntary basis and have more than 1,600 members, as well as 45 volunteers.

• Kosova’s Alive Alliancesaid that their work in 2012concentrated on health education. They will continue this work in 2013. They also
  started a new initiative to improvehealth,called “Health Game”;a women’s group and children’s group have been formed.

  
KWN also informed members that they will need to begin paying a €20 annual membership fee. Beginning in 2013, KWN will only pay transportation costs for one person per organizationand only for organizations in poor financial conditions. This is because with 100 members, transportation costs have risen substantially and are difficult for KWN to continue to cover for all of its members. KWN requests members’ understanding in contributing to the network by helping to support these costs.

The next KWN members’ meeting will be held on 8 Apr. 2013. Members can send information about their activities to info@womensnetwork.orgfor inclusionin the KWN monthly newsletter, Kosovar Women’s Voice.
 

19.03.26

Applying a Gender Lens: Erkenda Begins Her Internship at KWN

03.03.26

Motrat Qiriazi: Women’s Activism in Kosovo Since the 1990s Told in Book

27.02.26

Empowering Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities to Address GBV and TFGBV

25.02.26

Breaking the Silence: Gender Justice in Northern Kosovo

13.02.26

Under threat, and resilient

13.02.26

The Double Life of Growing Up Online and Being Safe

Women presented a manikin wearing traditional clothes to the office of theMayor of Prishtinaand the President of the Republic of Kosova.

Arta

09.02.2013

Women worked expeditiously. Their fingers quickly moved in and out of the traditional clothes. They were busy preparing traditional garments for the Mayor of Prishtina, Isa Mustafa, and the President of the Republic of Kosovo, AtifeteJahjaga. The garments were donated together with a manikin wearing them with the hope that these political leaders would put women’s handmade products on display in their offices for visitors to see. Indeed, they were placed in the main hall of Prishtina Municipality.

The organization responsible, Arta in Prishtina, received support from the KWN Kosovo Women’s Fundfor this initiative. They trained women in traditional handcrafts, improved women’s economic situation and furthered women’s social integration.
“I am extremely gratefulfor the opportunity that has been offered,” said ValbonaDurmishi. She had earned money by making handcrafts, which empowered her economically.With the money she earned, she helped her family and educated her children.

“Working with the organization helped me receive my own income, and I do not have to depend economically on my husband or other family members,” saidHavaBytyqi, another Artamember. “Here I have the opportunity to spend time with my female friends and work. I didn’t have the chance to go to school when I was young, and this opportunity is a very good one for me to work and socialize with other women,”she continued.

According to HafijeQyqalla, Director of NGOArta, President Jahjaga and Mayor Mustafapromised to support women’s groups inpresenting theirhandmade goods in several Kosovo embassies worldwide, promoting Kosovo culture. “This will exhibit our national handcrafts and our tradition, and in the meantime empower economically our members,” she said. The events were promotedon public television, social media and newspapers.

 

21.06.24

Public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender and Climate Change Financing

21.08.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

02.02.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

25.01.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

19.12.18

Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPDMK)

19.12.18

Women’s Association “Aureola”

Members of the Organization of People with Muscular Dystrophy discuss the issues they face and potential solutions.

Organizata e Personave me Distrofi Muskulare (The Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy)

09.02.2013

At a two-day workshop called “We have rights, too” 30 diverse people with disabilities discussed state services and challenges faced. Participants concluded that respect for their rights had improved slightly, but much work remained for their full integration into social life.
The Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy organized the discussion, which resulted in three conclusions:

  • Law enforcement for people with disabilities, including campaigning for their rights and respecting the administrative regulation for their access to public institutions 
  • The right to education as a vital human right
  • Advocate to relevant ministries to support people with disabilities through the social assistance scheme

The workshop also provided a space for the participants, who were from different regions of Kosovo,to exchange experiences regarding thechallenges they face and how they access assistance.
“We were together there with people with different disabilities, coming from different municipalities, having seminars about the rights of this category of people, and different sport and entertainment activities,” said Resmije Rrahmani, a member and one of the founders of the organization.

The project, supported by the KWN Kosovo Women’s Fund, seeks is to improve the lives of people with disabilities, particularly those with muscular dystrophy through rehabilitation, recreational and sports activities, information and awareness-raising.

The initiative also enabled people with muscular dystrophy to meet other people facing similar issues.
“Through this project we had the opportunity to express our abilities, discuss, play together and have fun,” said Yllka Berisha, a member of the organization. “For example, I tried to play darts.It is normal that I had difficulties, but I had a lot of fun.It was a magical game for me.”

“There should be more activities like this so that we can attract people with disabilities who have problems and needs related to health, economic situation and education.We should use civil society as a tool to sensitize the public to the problems we face,” said Agron Kube, a member of the NGO.

 

21.06.24

Public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender and Climate Change Financing

21.08.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

02.02.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

25.01.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

19.12.18

Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPDMK)

19.12.18

Women’s Association “Aureola”

Qendra për Mbrojtjen e Grave dhe Fëmijëve (The Center for Protection of Women and Children)

09.02.2013

Survivors of sexual violence perpetrated during the 1999 war in Kosovo have yet to receive sufficient attention from Kosovo’s political leaders. The issue of sexual violence has not been raised in negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia. There has never been an official apology for the crimes committed against women, let alone a single court conviction or reparations.

By and large, society has ostracized and failed to support women who suffered this terrible crime. As a result, many women have attempted to continue with their lives without ever learning how to deal with their past psychologically. This often results in various untreated ills, including trauma, phobia, inhibited sexual desire and eating disorders, as well as untreated physical injuries. Identifying women who have suffered such crimes is crucial for providing them with much-needed assistance in developing coping mechanisms that will enable them to live their lives.

Thus, the Centre for Protection of Women and Children set out to identify women survivors of sexual violence in Drenas. Within only a couple months, they found 37 survivors, ages 25-50, in 13 villages of this region.
“We have helped women a lot,” said Kadire Tahiraj from the Center. “In one case, a woman survivor of sexual violence was identified for the first time, and the project helped her in her family relations, especially with her husband. … Her husband became aware of how important it is for him to support his wife.”

The Center has opened this previously taboo topic for greater discussion within some violence survivors’ families towards healing.
“This project has had a very positive impact and has broken the silence that covered this issue for many years,” one woman survivor said.“We feel much safer.”

Beyond identifying survivors and providing individual and family counseling, the organization brought survivors and supporters together to formulate eight demands on behalf of women survivors. A key demand was for all actors to respect the human rights of sexual violence survivors and their needs. They presented their demands to the President of KosovoAtifeteJahjaga who promised stronger institutional commitment and improved support.
“Now the other women and I are more tranquil,” another woman survivor said. “We have renewed belief that our future will be better.”

 

21.06.24

Public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender and Climate Change Financing

21.08.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

02.02.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

25.01.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

19.12.18

Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPDMK)

19.12.18

Women’s Association “Aureola”

Women in Gjakova learn about their reproductive rights.

Shoqata për Edukim dhe Përkujdesje të Familjes (The Association for the Education and Care of the Family)

09.02.2013

Women in Kosovo have insufficient information about reproductive health.Further, few women from rural areas visit the doctor unless they are sick. The Association for Education and Care of the Family in Gjakova began their initiative to address these two issues.The organization decided to increase awareness about healthcare, particularly preventative care, in three villages of Gjakova Municipality.

“I was in menopause, but I didn’t realize that I was five months pregnant,” a woman said. “I learned this only after the informative sessions that the project offered.”

In total, 91 girls and women of different ethnicities participated.

“Now they are aware of the importance of reproductive health, the process of planning a family and the importance of visiting the gynecologist regularly,” said Bahrije Deva, the organization’s director.

The initiative also installed a sense of voluntarism in the community.

“Even though the project ended, we have girls volunteering. They keep in touch with us and inform us about the needs of women in their communities. They also ask for help from us, as needed,” said Bahrije Deva.

 

 

21.06.24

Public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender and Climate Change Financing

21.08.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

02.02.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

25.01.23

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE KOSOVO WOMEN’S FUND

19.12.18

Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPDMK)

19.12.18

Women’s Association “Aureola”