heks

Kosovo took the final step to statehood and self-government in 2008. Kosovo’s independence is now recognised by more than 50 countries. Progress is being made with the establishment of the government structures. The majority of problems still remain, however, with far too little work and precious few earning opportunities. The social and economic integration of the minorities will still be a major challenge in the coming years.

Aims, points of focus, initiatives:

HEKS has decided to focus on the following points in its 2009-2012 Kosovo aid programme:

• Development of rural communities: Support for agricultural producers’ cooperatives with growing and marketing their products. The aims are to emphasise products with greater income-generating potential, such as vegetables and milk, and to market the products more effectively. The central focus is on the entire value-added chain all the way from production, marketing and storage right through to processing. The producers are offered advice about production and marketing and are given contributions for establishing distribution structures (e.g. potato stores, milk collection points) and small loans.

• Integrating the Roma community: Conditions for the Roma and Ashkali communities in Kosovo are catastrophic. Tens of thousands have already left the country bound for Serbia or western Europe. Many of them are sent back from western Europe. There are virtually no permanent jobs for Roma people. HEKS therefore concentrates its efforts on promoting vocational training, jobs and income for Roma youth.