In order to support its partner municipalities overcome their limited ability to invest own resources into services improvement and other initiatives aiming at economic and welfare development, LOGOS has established an Investment Fund. The different projects are proposed and managed by the municipalities in order to ensure the link with municipal planning and budgeting cycle.The objectives of the Investment Fund are threefold:

• Improve access and quality of municipal services for citizens and the different communities;
• Improve project management skills and develop municipal ability to access other funds or programmes;
• Support partners in achieving visible and tangible results

The Investment Fund logic and structure

At the start of Phase II, the project first invested into strengthening the technical base of the municipal administrations of Klokot – Vrbovac/Kllokot – Vërbovc, Ranilug/Ranillug and Parteš/Partesh whichare municipalities that were recently established, and in the municipalities of Novo Brdo/Novobërdë and Štrpce/Shtërpcë which were assessed to lack key materials. It secured the availability of essential working equipments (such as computers, printers, copy machine, etc.) and basic training of relevant specialists for operating it. The Quick Start Projects (QSPs) were designed to address urgent needs in public services within a municipality. The aim of these projects was to show viable results and visible improvement in the daily life of citizens. LOGOS made 9.000€ available to all partner municipalities for the execution of the QSPs.The main objective of the Municipal Call projects is to improve access and quality of municipal public services for a larger number of citizens and to promote initiatives leading to economic development. Municipal Call projects must support the fulfilment of priorities identified in the municipal development plans. In addition and in order to receive LOGOS financial support, the projects proposed by the municipalities must ensure the participation and inclusion of non-majority
communities and be gender sensitive. At least one project per municipality must target rural communities.Municipal Call projects require that municipalities co-finance a minimum 20 percent of the total project costs. LOGOS partner municipalities are grouped according to their population size and the allocation of funds is based on these groupings:

• Up to 30 000 € per municipal call project for the small municipalities of Klokot – Vrbovac/Kllokot – Vërbovc, Ranilug/Ranillug and Parteš/Partesh
• Up to 40 000 € per municipal call project for the mid-size municipalities of Hani i Elezit, NovoBrdo/Novobërdë and Štrpce/Shtërpcë,
• Up to 50.000 € for the large municipalities of Kaçanik/Kacanik, Kamenicë/Kamenica and Viti/Vitina.

LOGOS finances at least two Municipal Call projects per municipality (Municipal Call 1 and Municipal Call 2). The rest of the money is to be allocated on a competitive basis. For this purpose, municipalities that show no delay in the implementation of their other projects have the opportunity to apply for additional funds. The best projects will be selected by an independent commission.

Project Cycle Management training and additional specific support

In order to strengthen municipal capabilities to apply for funds and manage the implementation of projects, LOGOS provides both general trainings and specific support/coaching to answer the needs of particular municipalities.As a way to work on the preparation and implementation of the Municipal Call projects and to support the development of project management skills of partner municipalities LOGOS facilitated a three-day Project Cycle Management (PCM) training for municipal staff in May 2011. The training focused on the methodology for drafting project proposals. This included topics like problem analysis, project implementation, budget planning and monitoring and evaluation strategies. Municipal officials had to bring prepared project concepts to the training, so it was directly applicable on the drafting of proposals for the Second Municipal Call projects.LOGOS also offers additional support to the newly established municipalities of Klokot-Vrbovac/ Kllokot-Vërbovc, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë and Parteš/Partesh. In order to overcome the limited capacities of these recent municipalities another methodology of project support is applied. This support consists of intensive coaching during the project design process, and constant monitoring and coaching during the implementation phase of the projects.

Project Cycle Management training – May 2011	Municipal workers and LOGOS consultants drafting a proposal for the construction of sidewalks in the municipality of Klokot/Kllokot

 Projects implemented through the Investment Fund

Gender projects

Gender is mainstreamed as a transversal topic within all LOGOS activities. For this reason it also deserves an important place within the Investment Fund. Mainstreaming gender is achieved through supporting local governments in putting into practice the Law on Gender Equality, in particular by encouraging women participation in municipal and sub-municipal structures and municipal decision-making, including women into trainings, organizing women engagement through established participatory decision making, sensitizing local government officials to gender issues, and by introducing elements of gender analysis into planning and budgeting. The implementation of Gender Responsive Budgeting is an important focus for LOGOS.All partner municipalities have designed and signed contracts for municipal specific gender projects.
Projects are usually implemented by appointed municipal gender officers, but in the municipalities of Kamenicë/Kamenica, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë and Ranilug/Ranillug the contracts were awarded to NGOs instead.Gender projects:

• Hani I Elezit: improvement of the role and women’s rights to heritage
• Kaçanik/Kacanik: strengthening the position of woman in the decision making process
• Kamenicë/Kamenica: project ‘’Female is my mother – I want her to be equal to me’’
• Klokot-Vrbovac/Kllokot-Vërbovc : project ‘’Discover on right time if you want to have a time’’
• Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: training of women on agricultural development, respectively arboriculture
• Parteš/Partesh: training on woman’s participation in politics
• Štrpce/Shtërpcë: work has been done on gender equality and gender sensitive budgeting
• Viti/Vitina: projects on gender equality and gender sensitive budgeting

Relevant press articles

“LOGOS”-i zviceran rinovon objektet e 2 shkollave të Vitisë – Koha Ditore, 13.04.2013
Anulohet vendimi për participimin e vitiasve në projekte komunale – Koha Ditore, 28.02.2013
Përurohen dy projekte infrastrukturore – Website Kaçanik/Kačanik – 28.11.2011
Vitia merr pamje tjetër – Website Viti/Vitina – 26.11.2011
Vitia e Kllokoti mbështeten nga organizata zvicerane “Helvetas Intercooperation” – Koha Ditore – 10.06.2012
Qeveria zvicerane dhe dy ministri ndihmojnë fshatrat e Vitisë, by Ibrahim Sefedini, Koha Ditore,21.05.2012
LOGOS-i financon dy projekte në Kaçanik dhe Han të Elezit, by K.Sallahu, Zëri, 19.05.2012
LOGOS-i Përkrahë Komunën e Hanit të Elezit në menagjimin e mbeturinave , website of the municipality of Hani i Elezit, 18.05.2012 
U nënshkrua marëveshje bashkëpunimi për projektin “Ndërtimi i trotuarit nëpër vendbanimin Llabjan përgjatë rrugës Novobërdë’’, website of the municipality of Novo Brdo 17.05.2012 
Qeveria zvicerane financon urën e re që lidh dy pjesët e Kaçanikut, by Ekrem Raka, Koha Ditore, 7.05.2011
Qeveria zvicerane financon disa projekte infrastructurore të 6 komunave, by Ibrahim Sefedini, Koha Ditore, 6.05.2011
Zvicra i investon 40 mijë euro në shkolla të Hanit të Elezit, by Ekrem Raka, Koha Ditore, 10.05.2011