Journalistic article
14 March 2014

The fact that in Kosovo there is deep poverty is out of discussion, despite having a class of wealthy people. Around 35% of Kosovo’s citizens live with only 1.6 € per day. Unemployment of 45% is the most realistic measure for measuring dissatisfaction of citizens in Kosovo. Social sector (Municipalities, Education, Health, etc.) fail to absorb that number of unemployed people. In the private sector there is an employment that, somehow, alleviates the unemployment, but in most of the cases, labours are unsatisfied because of low wages or delays in wages and for that reason they leave the jobs. Meanwhile the agriculture has remained almost fully neglected, first of all due to the absence of sufficient subsidies from the Ministry of Agriculture, but also because of an aversion of the youth towards this sector.

However, an attempt to alleviate the unemployment comes from various projects launched from international organizations in coordination with relevant local bodies such as the Regional Development Agency (RDA), Helvetas (Swiss Intercooperation), Municipal Employment Office etc.

As it is known, the Swiss government, after the war, continuously has launched employment projects in small and medium business. Due to this reason, since 2013, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperatin Program has launched the project “Skills for Rural Employment (SRE)” that will continue until 2015. This project, therefore, will be funded by HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation through fundraising department, as well as from the private foundations such as Julius Baer (Switzerland) and Medicor (Lichtenstein).

The goal of this project is to reduce poverty in rural areas of Kosovo, through increased employment opportunities. Two Kosovo rural areas are included in this pilot project: Sharri Mountain area and the area of the municipality of Kamenica and Novo Brdo.  Both of these areas are mountainous and hilly and with employment opportunities in the rural sector. It is foreseen in the project to benefit about 5,200 unemployed individuals as well as the ones with self-employment opportunities.

Considering that women in Kosovo constitute the highest number of unemployment, S4RE project will promote young women`s participation in economical development.

The project uses three main intervention strategies:

  1.  Developing the capacities of young unemployed (men and women) through skills and training programs, linked to private sector opportunities.
  2. Cooperation with existing businesses to increase employment and income through skills and business development.
  3. Linking self-employed suppliers of raw material (agricultural, etc) to national and regional buyers.

Initially, by this project is employed an employee in each of the abovementioned areas, who will serve also as contact point for interested persons. The beneficiaries of this project will be mainly young men and women aged 16-30 years. Initially they will attend training (free of charge) related to the business on which they are interested.

The following are business selection opportunities:

–          Non-wood forest products (natural or cultivated)

–          Apiculture (bee products)

–          Livestock and dairy

–          Fruit trees (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, apples, plums, etc.)

–          Chicken farm

–          Textile and handicraft

–          Communication Technology and Internet

–          Finance

–          Tourism

–          Development of business plans and project proposals, and

–          Other important trainings relevant to the area.

Training on the abovementioned fields may last from one up to twenty days.

“Last year we had 46 training attendees, out of which 13 persons were self-employed, whereas this year, up to date, we have 13 groups out of which emerged 8 business ideas. Mrs. Lirije Hajrizi, a field worker in Kamenica, stated that: “Apiculture and decorative plants business is of most interest, due to the fact that products from this business are highly required in the market”.

Mrs. Lirije Hajrizi acknowledges that during 2013, in the municipality of Kamenica were granted three grants on poultry, apiculture and decorative plants.

Author: Xhevdet Kallaba