We began work in the capital, Pristina, in 1994. For the next five years, most of our work consisted of aid for water and sanitation improvements in schools and small clinics, working with women and disabled groups and some humanitarian work in conflict areas. A network of rural women’s groups was also established.

After the NATO bombings in June 1999 our work in Kosovo responded to the changing needs of the people. With the recent development of local government structures, people began to ask for our assistance in relating to them.

Since 2002 our projects have been implemented thanks to the financial support of the Swiss Development Cooperation Agency and Save the Children- US.

 

Current projects

Building bridges in the community

One of the legacies of communist rule was the lack of understanding of how local government is supposed to function in a democracy. Under communist rule decisions were often made without consulting local communities or dealing with their concerns and government officials were not accountable to the communities.

Based on in-depth discussions between Oxfam staff, partner organisations and communities, Oxfam, with the communities, determined that we could have the most impact by helping communities improve their relations with local government officials and regional authorities.

We hope to facilitate links between regional administrations and communities by working closely with village councils and relevant regional bodies.

Through this programme, Oxfam worked with other partners to develop a training programme for village leaders and community activists, which encouraged them to engage with municipal authorities, demand their rights, and understand their responsibilities as citizens. With this knowledge they have been able to work effectively with local government to provide for peoples’ needs.

Water supplies

Around 80 per cent of the rural population in Kosovo rely on contaminated water resources, mainly from household wells (Statistic from The Kosovo Institute for Public Health).

Oxfam has built 31 village water supplies and six sanitation systems in Kosovo. We have encouraged villagers to get involved and, in some cases, communities have formed water companies to operate the systems.

We are working through two local partners in Prizren and Mitrovica to ensure rural communities have access to clean water. Our partners are repairing water systems, training villagers how to maintain water pumps and chlorinate water, running seminars on rational water use and raising awareness on waste management issues.

Our current focus is to work with relevant institutions to encourage the recently established Regional Water Companies to take over the management of water systems that Oxfam has built over the last three years. We are also pushing for poor people's interests to be taken into account during the planned restructuring of the water sector in Kosovo.

We are also working with minority Roma, Ashkalia and Egyptian groups to help them speak up for their rights. Through our partner, we are providing community activists with leadership development, helping minority groups to network together and form coalitions, and we are urging the media to cover the plight of minorities.

Future plans

We will still have a small office in Pristina, but the majority of our work is now carried out by three local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Pristina, Prizren and Mitrovica. These three organisations will build on achievements made through past projects but on a smaller scale, due to dwindling levels of donor funding.

Last updated: Jan 06