Successful Advocacy Initiatives of Lobby in Lipjan

Since its establishment in 2014, the Lobby for Gender Equality (henceforth known as the Lobby) has played a key role in improving the living conditions of women and girls throughout Kosovo.

The Lobby is committed to achieving gender equality by empowering women’s participation in politics and decision-making processes.  A successful example of this is Linda Shahini, former-chairwoman of the Women’s Group of the Municipality of Lipjan, former-assembly member.

Shahini appreciates the support received from the Lobby, saying that they supported her throughout her journey in many different way, such as with trainings, and various networking meetings with other women in these roles.

“The lobby has been a bridge between us and other women throughout Kosovo. This has helped us have the right support for each of our initiatives”, she says.

During 2019, the Lobby in Lipjan advocated for the empowerment of women and supported women in small businesses through the UNDP project on trainings for business, crafts and gastronomy. This project was in collaboration with the Municipality, and the Lobby in Lipjan recruited women for the workshop.

“This collaboration has been very productive, mainly because a large number of women beneficiaries participated in this initiative. All of these women have received important information about creating and expanding their businesses. Some women have even opened their own businesses.” said Shahini.

She believes that these types of meetings, held together with women from all over the country, are one of the best opportunities for women to exchange experiences.

“We have the opportunity to learn from each other, to enhance our expertise, and undertake new initiatives. These meetings are important, because we get to hear about new innovative and successful ways to contribute to the community and apply these lessons in our municipality”, she adds.

She further added that the Lobby is of great value to her because of all the support she found from this community of women.

As a final message, Shahini urges girls to attach great importance to their education in order to have access to opportunities and gain independence.

NGO Rikotta and Women’s Centre ‘ATO’ Return with Meetings on Economic Empowerment and Capacity Building of Women

On August 22, Rikotta Organization and the Women’s Center ‘ATO’, both member organizations of the Kosovo Women‘s Network (KWN), held their first meeting since the start of the pandemic. Thirty Bosnian and Gorani women from Prevalla and surrounding villages, such as Mushnikova, Gornosella, Recani, Grnqare and Lubinje, participated in this meeting.

It was held in the framework of the initiative “Economic empowerment and capacity building of women in Prevalla and surrounding villages” with the support of Kosovo Women Fund (KWF) and financed by Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

During the meeting, participants were informed about the possibilities of involvement in the NGOs work and were trained on various topics such as the definition of advocacy and how to successfully of advocate to relevant institutions.

The meeting was held in Prevalla, by Fikrije Ferizi, who believes that such initiatives are imperative for this region.

“While a large number of the population suffers from unemployment and a lack of professional development, women, especially those living in rural areas, are most affected by these factors.” said Ferizi.

“Apart from living in difficult conditions, the women of this region also experience isolation and marginalization from their families and society overall,” added the project coordinator and Director of the Rikotta Organization, Pranvera Hajzeri-Bullaku.

In addition to the beneficiaries of the project,  officials from the Employment Office in the Municipality of Prizren and a representative of the Directorate of Economy, Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development were also present and announced opportunities for employment for these women in their projects.

Promoting the Employment Through the Improving of Soft Skills to the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Women in Gjakova

Roma, Egyptian and Albanian women and girls from Gjakova trained on improving their soft skills for job applications through the initiative “Promoting the employment through the improving of soft skills to the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Women in Gjakova”. 

NRAEWOK, a member organization of Kosovo Women’s Network started this 4-month initiative with the support of Kosovo Women Fund and financed by Austrian Development Agency (ADA). 

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The NGO held three trainings for each group during the project. Each training lasted five days, with groups of 20 women and girl participants aim to integrate Roma, Egyptian, Ashkali and Albanian women and girls into social life and also inform them for the job market and the employment opportunities. 

The participants developed skills in various modules, such as: application for work (CV writing, motivation letter, job vacancies research, recognition, of portals and electronic platforms for information on contests, importance of job fairs), development of communication skills (presentation in job interviews, written communication, verbal communication, dress code, etc.), professional image development (code of conduct, ethics at work, motivation, time management, etc.).  

NRAEWOK managed to get the following direct results from this initiative: 

  • 26 Roma, Egyptian and Albanian women and girls received soft skills for job applications training; 
  • 21 Roma and Egyptian women and girls prepared the CVs, motivation letter and received the certificates for the participation in the soft skills training; 
  • NRAEWOK had meetings with different companies active in Gjakova municipality in order to lobby for the internships and possibly employment of Roma and Egyptian women and girls who attended the soft skills training; NRAEWOK so far signed the Memorandum of Cooperation with the textile company Albi CM, since all trainees are mostly interested and have knowledge and experience in sewing. 
  • Initially 3 women are engaged in the textile company Albi MC in Gjakova municipality for internship and seriously considered for employment at the later stages. In the meantime, other trained women and girls will be engaged for internship/employment, within the possibilities of the above mentioned company. 

NGO Hareja Raises Awareness About Violence Prevention and the Importance of Reporting

The member organization of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), NGO Hareja, with the initiative “Don’t be Silent – Speak Up” held roundtables, workshops and lectures to raise awareness of women and society on the prevention of domestic violence and the importance of its reporting. 

The lectures were held with women from the Serb and Roma communities by the association Hareja and the Kosovo Police, where the participating women were shown the number of cases reported by the Kosovo Police and the place and ways in which violence can be reported. 

From November to January 2020, a total of 6 lectures were held in Hoqë e Madhe, Xërxë, Krushë e Madhe, Ratkovc and two in Rahovec. Participants in these lectures were a total of 221 people (176 women and 45 men). 

During December, Hareja held two workshops on “Appropriate access to victims of violence, victims of domestic violence, and sexual violence”, led by psychologist Visar Sadiku. The workshop was attended by representatives of the police, Center for Social Work (CSW), Main Family Medicine Centre (MFMC), shelter in Gjakova, psychologists as well as social workers from the Hareja association. A total of 41 participants (32 women and 9 men) were present during these two workshops. 

At the closing meeting of the project, the Executive Director of the Organization, Adelina Pakarizika spoke about the overall purpose of this initiative. 

“Unfortunately, the Municipality of Rahovec faces a large number of cases of domestic violence, therefore the proper and fair access of victims of domestic violence, victims of sexual abuse, their support, as well as the promotion of women’s rights in the Municipality of Rahovec was the main goal of this initiative” said Paqarizi. 

Within three months, Hareja managed to take the following steps:  

  • Provided accurate data from the Center for Social Work and the Kosovo Police on cases of violence in the Municipality of Rahovec. In 2019, 47 people suffered from domestic violence, 95% of these victims being women and girls. 
  • Raised awareness of the citizens of Rahovec and surrounding villages for the prevention and reporting of domestic and sexual violence. 
  • Contracted an oral agreement with the Safe House in Gjakova on the treatment of victims of domestic violence. 
  • Established a coordination mechanism that deals with ongoing cases, consisting of psychologists, social workers, doctors, nurses, and police officers. 

This initiative is supported by the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), and is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). 

Association of Women  for  Integration  raises  awareness of women on  gynecological care 

Generally, minority women face more challenges to access information regarding health problems and in accessing the services as well. Therefore Women’s Association for Integration (WAI) undertook a new program to inform women and girls about sexually transmitted diseases and how they can get diagnoses and treatment. 

Many women and girls, especially in Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, are poorly informed about health care problems and servicesQuitting school early is especially common for girls in these communities. The lack of education directly affects their health even into adulthood. 

To improve this situation, WAI offered informative lectures to  109 women and girls in the villages of Medvec, Hallac and Gradime in Lipjan as well as Ali Ibish and Sallahane neighborhoods and Dubrava village in Ferizaj. 

Doctor Zekije Shala, speaking at the lectures, told women and girls about the importance of intimate care and about preventable diseases. Among the topics addressed were PapTest and its importance. It was disturbing to note that very few women had taken this cervical cancer test or even heard of it. 

“This lecture helped me a lot because I didn’t know the Pap Test wasn’t painfulsaid one of the participants. “That’s why I didn’t go before.   

 The initiative, “Health Awareness of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Women in the Municipalities of Ferizaj and Lipjan”also enabled WAI to hold coordinating meetings with organizations qualified to provide relevant health services. These included the Health Directorates and Office for Returns and Committees in Lipjan and Ferizaj. The aim of the meetings was to help these organizations improve services for women and girls. 

Women were also informed about services available to them through public institutions for free or for a very small fee. 

Another noteworthy outcome of the WAI initiative is that the Health Education and Promotion Team, which operates within the Health Directorate of Ferizajwill deliver further lectures on relevant topics women in these communities. 

Through this initiative 16 men also became more aware of the importance and treatment of these cases. 

During thproject implementation, a survey was conducted where 102 women and girls from these two municipalities were surveyed. The findings resulted in the published report “Access to the health services of Ashkali and Egyptian women and girls in the municipalities of Lipjan and Ferizaj”. 

Some recommendations from the report were: 

  • Provide funding opportunities to organize and conduct further awareness campaigns on the importance of regular gynecological examinations, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and infections, uterine cancer, and related issues among these women.
  • Conduct awareness campaigns for women and girls on health and patient rights.
  • Conduct in-depth analysis and research on the incidence of early marriages in Kosovo, including Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, in order to inform key decision makers on steps needed to effectively address this practice. 

 

 

The Initiative “Mobilization of Women Assembly Members to Address the Needs of Women Traumatized by the War” Concludes Successfully

On July 29, Medica Kosova and Center Cradle of Smile organized the closing roundtable within the initiative “Mobilizing women assembly members to address the needs of women traumatized by war” in Gjakova. Representatives of local institutions from Gjakova and civil society got together to discuss the situation of women who faced sexual violence during the war, as well as their treatment as the responsibility of state institutions. 

The Executive Director of Medica Kosova, Veprore Shehu, outlined the achievements of the project, emphasizing the importance of identifying the needs of women survivors of sexual violence as well as addressing the consequences. 

The meeting also discussed the importance of creating a Special Gender Budget Code at the Office for Gender Equality to create inclusion for the needs of both men and women. 

Mimoza Shala, Chairwoman of the Assembly Women Group from the Municipality of Gjakova, indicated that women are reluctant to claim their rights due to the strong distrust of institutions and the societal stigma. 

She showed how the system is flawed when identifying female survivors of sexual violence.  However, women who have been identified can start receiving help from the state. 

In concluding the meeting, the participants agreed that it is necessary to strengthen more formal cooperation between NGOs and institutions in order to work on on solving the social, economic, and health problems faced by these women. 

This initiative is supported by the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and co-financed by UNWomen. 

KWN Demands Justice for the Murder of a Woman by her Husband in Kamenica

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) has received news that a murder took place, two days ago, in the village of Berivojcë in the Municiaplity of Kamenica. A 42 year old man brutally murdered his 34 year old wife with a metal rod.

Through this press release, KWN demands that the Basic Court of Gjilan, the justice institution handling this case, be thorough and careful so that justice can be properly reached. KWN also demands that the perpetrator be punished to the fullest extent of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo for committing “aggravated murder”.

KWN research found that when dealing with domestic violence cases, judges, prosecutors, and police officers tend to blame the victim and focus their efforts on reconciling the family. This is an alarming finding as many of these women and children suffer severe physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. KWN will monitor this case closely to ensure that justice is served.

KWN will hold the justice institutions accountable if the defendant is not punished to the full extent of the law.  We will exert public pressure if proper legal steps are not followed.

KWN will also take action in the upcoming days, of which the media will be timely notified.

KWN as a learning and inspiring experience

José Carpintero-Molina, 23, from Almeria, Spain joined Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) team in order to expand his knowledge of and experience with women’s civil society organizations. He worked as a research assistant with KWN from the beginning of December 2019 until the end of June 2020. Although he is now back in Spain, he is still working remotely for KWN.  

Long before coming to Kosovo, he was aware that KWN was one of the key women’s rights organization in the Balkans region.  

“When I began, not only did KWN staff trust me, but they welcomed me into the organization as if they were my own family. Even in the most difficult moments during the pandemic, I have always felt helped and cared for.” he says.  

Carpintero-Molina, a graduate student in Political Sciences at the University of Granada, highly appreciates the team effort and the warm welcome by KWN staff members.  

“Thanks to all of them, to accepting me in this new experience, which ended up being a path full of learning and new friendships. During this period, I experienced a great change, both personally and professionally.” 

As part of an initiative “Empowering Youth for a Peaceful, Prosperous, and Sustainable Future in Kosovo”, supported by UN Women, Jose focused on Women, Peace and Security and Youth agendas. Molina worked closely with two KWN staff members, Majlinda Behrami, Project Coordinator and Besarta Brezenica, Researcher.  

He describes their cooperation as a valuable experience which helped him to better understand how women’s activism has been during the war in Kosovo.  

“Working with Majlinda and Besarta has made this project much more exciting. Even though we didn’t know each other at the beginning, I have the feeling that we managed to connect very well and we built a great team. Certainly, everything was much easier and more comfortable thanks to them.” says Molina, while adding that they, and other KWN staff, have become very good friends.  

The appreciation was mutual. Behrami asserts that Carpintero-Molina had a positive energy, strong work-ethic, and was curious to know more about the people surrounding him.  

“His professional background served as a huge contributor to our research initiative. From our discussions we realized that gender inequalities are present all around the globe, regardless of different circumstances. I am very happy that young men like him are involved in advocating for gender equality.” Behrami says. 

Along the way, he had the opportunity to learn and elaborate more about the work and activism that KWN is doing, as well as the history of the organization and the long-standing activism of the KWN Executive Director, Igballe Rogova.  

“She [Rogova] inspired me from the very moment I read about her activism”.   

Regardless of the circumstances caused due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Molina left happy, knowing that he met “these great and professional people, and that I will be able to continue working with them from the distance.” 

This experience helped him to clearly define the most important things he wants to continue to advocate for, gender equality being one of them.  

“KWN has shown me that wherever I go, I must work and speak up for what I believe in, and that is what I will continue doing from Spain.” 

Jose concludes that he is proud for being able to be part of KWN, and is convinced that this experience is exceptional.  

OPDMK Marks the Muscular Dystrophy Week

The Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy (OPDMK), a member organization of Kosovo Women‘s Network (KWN), marked the Muscular Dystrophy Week 2020 with an awareness campaign video, where girls and women with disabilities shared their experiences and the difficulties they encounter on a daily basis. 

This initiative has been a great way to spread awareness around this topic, given the situation created by the spread of the pandemic. 

This video was possible under the four-year initiative, “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics”, in cooperation with KWN and supported by the European Union (EU) Office in Kosovo. 

Antigona Shestan, Executive Director of OPDMK spoke about the importance of this initiative in implementing the objectives of OPDMK. 

“Instead of the usual recreational and sportive activities, this year through a short clip we aimed to contribute to raising awareness among the citizens of Kosovo regarding the condition of people with muscular dystrophy. Thanks to the support received from the EU Office in Kosovo, through this awareness video and its media coverage, the voice of women with muscular dystrophy were more heard,” she said. 

Every year OPDMK has undertaken activities to improve the rights of this community. In order to address importance of the Muscular Dystrophy Week, Resmije Rrahmani, Mobilizer under this initiative from OPDMK, expressed that “marking this week has been very important for people with muscular dystrophy and their families. This highlights the difficulties and obstacles faced by people with dystrophy. I want to emphasize of how important it is to give a space for women and girls with disabilities to be heard.” 

One of the girls who gave a message in the video was Pranvera Musaj from Suhareka. 

“Taking in consideration the pandemic conditions, we still tried to do something to mark this week, to take a step forward by pushing other girls who are like us to never give up on their dreams, especially from education and employment”, says Musaj. She added that she is convinced that this initiative will affect positive changes in society. 

In the framework of this initiative, OPDMK has drafted Advocacy Strategy for Women and Girls with Disabilities. 

The full video for Muscular Dystrophy Week can be found HERE

READ ALSO: 

OPDMK Advocates for the Participation of Women with Disabilities in Politics  

OPDMK aims to Strengthen the Participation of Women with Disabilities in Politics 

This video and this initiative is supported by the European Union (EU) Office in Kosovo.

PEA Conducts Door-to-Door Medical Visits

 Albanian and Serb citizens of the villages of Gadish, Kishnapolë, Verbicë e Zhegovcit, Pidiq, Llashticë, Dazhnicë, Makresh and Parallovë, of the Gjilan Municipality recently had the opportunity to do medical examinations, free of charge.

125 field visits were undertaken by Psychotherapists in Action (PEA), a Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) member organization, under the framework of the initiative “Advancing Palliative Care in Kosovo and Raising Public Awareness about People with Special Needs.”

A total of 158 people benefited directly from these medical visits. Some of these citizens discovered that they were suffering from ailments they had never known about. Whereas, a total of 500 other people benefited indirectly through advice and guidance.

“I am very happy that we are benefiting from this initiative. At first, I thought that I did not have any health problems, so I have never been to a doctor before. But, after visits and consultations by PEA we saw that more extensive medical check-ups should be done at Main Family Medicine Centre (MFMC), where then I started to be treated,” Those are the words of a man from Pidiq village, whose family was visited by Dr. Ramize Ahmeti-Ibrahimi and the medical team.

The PEA, in addition to citizens, acknowledged the benefits stemming from this initiative. 

“This initiative, which included medical visits at home, was very welcomed by four our organization. Thanks to these examinations required we have found had cases of when diabetes that had not has been detected before. Also, we were able to benefit many poor families benefited from this initiative.” said Sevdije Musliu, Executive Director, PEA.

During visits, various different health problems were uncovered discovered, such as; high blood pressure, diabetes, cough or cold, infertility, lethargy, urinary tract infections, nervous disorders, and epilepsy.    

 In order to collect the impressions of citizens, 60 anonymous questionnaires, as well as round table discussions were conducted. These were the recommendations suggested:

Recommendations are as following:

  • Healthcare providers are key in identifying the needs of the individual and family as well,
  • Teamwork between families, doctors and nurses need to increase in order to improve the quality of health services,
  • To continuously monitor the health promotion, education, treatment and counselling of families, 
  • To inform families of the purpose of medical examinations and the role of the medical team. Informing should be done through media, schools, mosques, in order to reach a more people,
  • To be where the individual and the family need treatment and support with a single goal in mind “family, without illness.”

The above recommendations have been submitted to the Ministry of Health (MH), which has pledged to review them when drafting advocacy and legislation for the revival of palliative care.

The activities undertaken as part of this initiative have contributed to the implementation of the KWN Strategy 2019-2022, respectively in the section “Women’s Rights in Health Care”.