A helping hand to 6 families in need in Kosovo

Project Report | Jun 30, 2025
A helping hand to the family of Ilaz - Providing hope stability, and a chance for a better tomorrow

By Almedina Ajvazi | Coordinator of Private Donations

Ilaz at our center in Janjeva

In the small, historic town of Janjeva, lives the family of Ilaz – a hardworking father, a devoted husband, and a man doing his best to care for his wife and their two young children despite limited opportunities. Like many families from marginalized backgrounds in Kosovo, Ilaz's family has faced long-term unemployment, social exclusion, and financial insecurity. With only one small income source from occasional seasonal labor, the family was struggling to meet even their basic needs.

When the project “A Helping Hand to Six Families in Need” began, Ilaz's family was selected as one of the beneficiaries. Through this support, they began to feel seen, heard, and—most importantly—supported.

Thanks to the donations from kind individuals through GlobalGiving, the family received monthly food packages, hygiene supplies, and school materials for the children. For the first time in a long time, Ilaz and his wife didn’t have to choose between buying food or paying for their children's school essentials.

But the help went beyond material support. Our team worked closely with Ilaz to identify potential job opportunities, encouraged community connection, and brought a renewed sense of dignity to a family that had long felt forgotten.

"This project reminded me that there are people who care," Ilaz says. "Now I see my children go to school with full backpacks and smiles on their faces. I sleep better at night knowing we’re not alone."

The story of Ilaz is just one of many. But it shows how even a small helping hand can make a lasting difference in the lives of families who simply need someone to believe in them.

By supporting this project, you’re not just giving food or supplies—you’re giving hope.

Permalink

Mar 3, 2025
A Helping Hand to Six Families in Need

By Almedina Ajvazi | Coordinator of Private Donations

Families in Janjevo and Fushe Kosova

A Helping Hand to Six Families in Need

Thanks to the generosity of our donors through GlobalGiving, we have expanded our support to six more families in need—three from Janjeva and three from Fushë Kosova. These families, facing extreme financial hardship, now receive essential aid that helps improve their daily lives and creates a foundation for a better future.

Meet the Families We Are Helping

Janjeva

A family of three children struggling to provide basic necessities. With your support, they now has access to food, hygiene products, and school supplies for her children.
A family of four living in challenging conditions, unable to secure stable employment. Thanks to the project, they now receive monthly food packages and assistance with job-seeking efforts.
An elderly couple with no stable income who live with their two grandsons, facing health problems. With our support, they receive medication, warm clothing, and help with essential utilities.

Fushë Kosova

A family with four children, previously unable to cover rent and daily needs. With your donations, she now receives housing support and food packages.
A family of six, where both parents are unemployed and struggling to provide for their children. This project has helped them with emergency assistance and basic household items.
A young couple with a disabled child who requires medical support. With your contributions, she now receives food to support for their child.

Your Impact Matters

With every donation, you are making a significant difference in the lives of these families. Your support allows us to provide food, medical assistance, educational materials, and emergency aid, helping them move towards self-sufficiency.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for bringing hope to those who need it the most. Together, we can continue to change lives!

Donate today to keep these families supported and ensure a brighter future for them!

Permalink

Nov 6, 2024
Lucy's story for a beneficiary family from Janjeva

By Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker | Voulenteer

Lucy with Halime's children

Ask Halime how many people live in her tumbledown house and she’ll say 10. But just as you’re thinking that must be quite a squash in such a modest dwelling, you realise she’s pointing at the ground floor. Another seven family members live upstairs.

At that point, you notice the big water containers lined up outside the house. Halime’s house has no running water, so everything that 17 people need has to be bought from a truck and carried back.

This is the reality of life for the Roma community – and many other families – in Janjevë.

To support her 10 children, Halime gets €170 per month from the Kosovan government. That doesn’t go far in a town where groceries are more expensive than in Western Europe, so the support that TIP has provided to the household for the past two years has been crucial.

Once a thriving municipality with a large steel mill, Janjevë’s population has shrunk to less than 3,000 since the Balkan Wars, when most of the large Croatian population left. The steel mill now employs just a handful of people, and other jobs are few and far between.

It doesn’t seem like a great place to grow up – but the lack of prospects and prosperity has failed to put a dampener on the spirits of Halime’s children.

A bright-eyed, bouncy bunch, we had already met them at the TIP centre in Janjevë. Regular attendees at the English Club and other after-school activities, they were full of energy and obviously keen to learn.

They were just as friendly when I visited them at their ramshackle home, showing off the newest member of the family and arguing over whether Messi or Ronaldo is a better footballer.

Halime doesn’t have big plans for her children. “I’m happy for them to do whatever they want,” she told me. But they have plenty of ideas about their future. Most of them, including the girls, want to join the Kosovan police, a widely respected institution that has quotas for minority communities.

And when they get jobs and start earning money, will they look after their mum? “Of course!” they all chorus.

Permalink

1 2 3 4 5 6 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.