On 6 July, an angel departed from our earth. We at KWN continue to mourn the loss of our dear friend and fellow activist, Dua Dauti-Kadriu (36).

Dua’s name means love. In all her acts and words, she fulfilled the prophecy of her name. Dua was always patient, kind, honest, caring and ready with an encouraging word. Full of light and life, she refused to dwell on anything negative and constantly emphasized the positive aspects of every situation.

Dua’s life was full and her contributions many, likely far more extensive than those that we know. Here we humbly recount only some of her contributions to the women’s rights movement.

In 2005-2006, she worked as a researcher at the Kosovar Gender Studies Centre, where she contributed substantially to researching History is Herstory, Too. She spent several days (and nights) conducting oral history interviews with leading women’s rights activists and artists from Prizren, Krushe e Madhe, Vushtrri and Prishtina, documenting and preserving their stories of activism for generations to come.

In 2011-2012, she joined the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) as a staff member, researching and writing At What Cost? Budgeting for the Implementation of the Legal Framework against Domestic Violence in Kosovo. Dua was an intelligent and perceptive researcher, skilled at gathering information from diverse institutions and actors, with a flair for insightful analysis.

In the years that followed, whenever KWN was in need, of peer reviewers or last minute researchers (because someone had dropped out), Dua would jump in, travelling to Mamushe, Prizren and other municipalities at a moment’s notice. A skilled communicator, she conversed freely with diverse women in men in Turkish, Bosnian, Albanian and Serbian, including with regard to difficult topics like domestic violence. She volunteered regularly for KWN, donating thousands of hours to contribute to furthering women’s rights. She attended nearly every KWN bimonthly meeting, actively following the network’s initiatives.

In 2015, Dua became an individual member of KWN. She was a constant promotor of KWN and its work, recruiting several friends, family members and co-workers to join KWN as individual members, as well.

In 2015, KWN member organizations elected Dua as a member of the KWN Board of Directors, where she served in 2016 and 2017, including briefly as Chair of the KWN Board. In this position, she continued contributing substantially to KWN’s work with her positivity, encouragement and ideas.

With her unwavering energy and commitment, Dua was an inspiring role model for other women. While caring for her two children as a dedicated mother, she also worked full-time. Meanwhile, she simultaneously continued her own education. For years, she studied late into the night in order to finish her degree in psychology, as well as to finish in Law, passing the Bar exam.

Dua always divided time from her busy schedule to support others. She utilized her degree in psychology for counselling, not as paid work, but by lending a friendly ear to anyone who needed one, always ready to listen and offer support. She was an exceptional friend, and she always brought life, light and joy to social gatherings.

Dua served her community in many other ways. She was a member of the Independent Media Commission in 2017, and advocated for children’s rights, in her own way, for years. For example, after enrolling her children in school, she was concerned by the poor diets of children and the negative impact that it had on academic achievement. She worried for children who could not afford “cool” (albeit unhealthy) snacks and soda during recess, as they were teased by other children; and for the negative impact that consuming sugar has on children’s ability to focus and learn. She advocated both within schools and on television for parents and teachers to ban junk foods from school, promoting a healthy diet for all children. She also appeared regularly on television, discussing parenting techniques and child health.