Access to loans strengthens women’s role in improving children’s wellbeing in Kosovo
“Good health is the main thing that I wish for my children”, says Remzije “Then I insist on education, both formal and the one in the family. I insist my children behave well in the first place and they do great”, she adds proudly. Then she explains how she discovered their very good maths skills during their occasional engagement in the grocery shop she runs, and how they want to help her. But education, she says, comes first and she wants to see them busy in school and homework.
Good health is the main thing that I wish for my children Gentiana, 16, is in the 10th grade in the local high school. She has many dreams but her favourite ones are becoming a lawyer or a psychologist. Egzona, 14 is in the 8th grade and Diana, 11, is very meticulous about her homework. She wants to become a teacher and she also likes music and dancing. Shqipdon (Doni), 10, when asked replied instantly: “I want to be like you”, pointing at the KosInvest Loan Officer.
Egzon, 18, has gone abroad to try to contribute to the family’s income; an increasing situation among the youth of Kosovo given that 40% of Kosovans are unemployed and the economy cannot absorb the new work force entering the market each year.
The Dani family used to live in Buroj/Broj, a village south of Skenderaj/Srbica in central Kosovo. During the 1999 conflict, the village and wider area were attacked and destroyed by the heavy shelling.
Fadil, 49, Remzije’s husband explains: “There was no place to return to, neither the will to do so. Too many bad memories and pain for lost relatives”.
They decided to move on with their lives in another place. The village of Lismir/Dobri Dub seemed promising, located inFushë Kosovë/ Kosovo Polje municipality, a suburb of Kosovo’s capital Prishtinë/ Priština.
Half of Kosovo\'s population are women with an 80% unemployment rate Exclusively agricultural in the past, the area’s economy gradually shifted to the railway hub, nearby power plant and on the coal mine. Today these industries, despite their old and labour intensive technologies, cannot provide sufficient jobs for surrounding communities. Key to the national economy but destructive for the immediate environment, they mean little to those whom they affect most. Limping agriculture in general is even more difficult in this area for those who still possess some land and want to sustain themselves with it.
Half of Kosovo\'s population are women with an 80% unemployment rate. Many of these women are also widows challenged not only to care for their families, but generate an income to support them.
And those in rural communities, which suffered disproportionately during the war, are especially vulnerable. Two thirds of Kosovo’s poor live in rural areas. In 1999, international intervention put an end to the conflict but many problems persist today. Interethnic tensions and economic underdevelopment continue to hinder the wellbeing of communities. And, rural mindsets are not favourable of women taking the lead when it comes to income generation.
As the new era for Kosovo dawned, Remzije found herself struggling to care for her family of seven with her husband’s sparse income. With an unmet demand for groceries in her neighbourhood she saw her chance to improve her family’s wellbeing.
A small corrugated iron shack was available for rent. Funds, the only missing piece, were also made available through KosInvest. Remzije applied for a loan of US$1,765 in the first cycle to stock the grocery shop.
rural mindsets are not favourable of women taking the lead when it comes to income generation Nexhmi Ademi, KosInvest Loan Officer covering the area says, “The majority of households in the area are deficient in income. However, they do not give up but strive to develop small businesses. The Dani family is one of the most persistent ones.”
In 2008, 48% of KosInvest clients were women, like Remzije. Some 963 jobs were created through microcredit, of which 468 were for women. Some 832 jobs for women were sustained and more than 5,800 children benefitted from increased income generated through loans.
Nexhmi provided Remzije with training on budgeting and hints for success. Although the shop is small, as the only one in the neighbourhood it offers convenience and easy access for families.
Income generated from the store means that Remzije and Fadil can now purchase more in the way of food, clothing, school materials and other necessities for their children, whereas before, like most children in Kosovo, they simple had to go without. Still, there is no room for luxuries.
Husband Fadil has recently moved to a better paid job, but he recalls the times when he struggled to support his family by working as a driver at a furniture workshop, the 1999 conflict and prior to that when he was imprisoned for seven years. “It was unjust and I felt deeply discriminated”, says Fadil as Remzije takes a deep breath and exhales, revealing the emotional scars of those times.
...trailblazers like Remzije are so inextricably linked to the future of the nation and especially the wellbeing of its children Remzije believes that with a wider range of products she can increase sales and is planning to apply for a second loan as soon as the first is paid back.
“We have already bought the shack - now it is time to look forward as competition grows”.
Women\'s access to development resources is directly tied to the overall strength of a nation. When women are excluded from educational and economic opportunities and denied protection of their rights, sustainable peace is thwarted. Stronger women build stronger nations. This is how Kosovo is today – this is why trailblazers like Remzije are so inextricably linked to the future of the nation and especially the wellbeing of its children.
Good health is the main thing that I wish for my children Gentiana, 16, is in the 10th grade in the local high school. She has many dreams but her favourite ones are becoming a lawyer or a psychologist. Egzona, 14 is in the 8th grade and Diana, 11, is very meticulous about her homework. She wants to become a teacher and she also likes music and dancing. Shqipdon (Doni), 10, when asked replied instantly: “I want to be like you”, pointing at the KosInvest Loan Officer.
Egzon, 18, has gone abroad to try to contribute to the family’s income; an increasing situation among the youth of Kosovo given that 40% of Kosovans are unemployed and the economy cannot absorb the new work force entering the market each year.
The Dani family used to live in Buroj/Broj, a village south of Skenderaj/Srbica in central Kosovo. During the 1999 conflict, the village and wider area were attacked and destroyed by the heavy shelling.
Fadil, 49, Remzije’s husband explains: “There was no place to return to, neither the will to do so. Too many bad memories and pain for lost relatives”.
They decided to move on with their lives in another place. The village of Lismir/Dobri Dub seemed promising, located inFushë Kosovë/ Kosovo Polje municipality, a suburb of Kosovo’s capital Prishtinë/ Priština.
Half of Kosovo\'s population are women with an 80% unemployment rate Exclusively agricultural in the past, the area’s economy gradually shifted to the railway hub, nearby power plant and on the coal mine. Today these industries, despite their old and labour intensive technologies, cannot provide sufficient jobs for surrounding communities. Key to the national economy but destructive for the immediate environment, they mean little to those whom they affect most. Limping agriculture in general is even more difficult in this area for those who still possess some land and want to sustain themselves with it.
Half of Kosovo\'s population are women with an 80% unemployment rate. Many of these women are also widows challenged not only to care for their families, but generate an income to support them.
And those in rural communities, which suffered disproportionately during the war, are especially vulnerable. Two thirds of Kosovo’s poor live in rural areas. In 1999, international intervention put an end to the conflict but many problems persist today. Interethnic tensions and economic underdevelopment continue to hinder the wellbeing of communities. And, rural mindsets are not favourable of women taking the lead when it comes to income generation.
As the new era for Kosovo dawned, Remzije found herself struggling to care for her family of seven with her husband’s sparse income. With an unmet demand for groceries in her neighbourhood she saw her chance to improve her family’s wellbeing.
A small corrugated iron shack was available for rent. Funds, the only missing piece, were also made available through KosInvest. Remzije applied for a loan of US$1,765 in the first cycle to stock the grocery shop.
rural mindsets are not favourable of women taking the lead when it comes to income generation Nexhmi Ademi, KosInvest Loan Officer covering the area says, “The majority of households in the area are deficient in income. However, they do not give up but strive to develop small businesses. The Dani family is one of the most persistent ones.”
In 2008, 48% of KosInvest clients were women, like Remzije. Some 963 jobs were created through microcredit, of which 468 were for women. Some 832 jobs for women were sustained and more than 5,800 children benefitted from increased income generated through loans.
Nexhmi provided Remzije with training on budgeting and hints for success. Although the shop is small, as the only one in the neighbourhood it offers convenience and easy access for families.
Income generated from the store means that Remzije and Fadil can now purchase more in the way of food, clothing, school materials and other necessities for their children, whereas before, like most children in Kosovo, they simple had to go without. Still, there is no room for luxuries.
Husband Fadil has recently moved to a better paid job, but he recalls the times when he struggled to support his family by working as a driver at a furniture workshop, the 1999 conflict and prior to that when he was imprisoned for seven years. “It was unjust and I felt deeply discriminated”, says Fadil as Remzije takes a deep breath and exhales, revealing the emotional scars of those times.
...trailblazers like Remzije are so inextricably linked to the future of the nation and especially the wellbeing of its children Remzije believes that with a wider range of products she can increase sales and is planning to apply for a second loan as soon as the first is paid back.
“We have already bought the shack - now it is time to look forward as competition grows”.
Women\'s access to development resources is directly tied to the overall strength of a nation. When women are excluded from educational and economic opportunities and denied protection of their rights, sustainable peace is thwarted. Stronger women build stronger nations. This is how Kosovo is today – this is why trailblazers like Remzije are so inextricably linked to the future of the nation and especially the wellbeing of its children.
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