A helping hand to 6 families in need in Kosovo

Having spoken to children, volunteers and educators, I now wanted to speak to the families of participants to hear their firsthand experiences. It is important to note that TIP is unique in that it also provides classes aimed at adults particularly concerning literacy and healthcare. It is not unusual to have multiple generations of a family attending TIP’s centres. This is the case with Mirnie’s family, who’s home I visited in the Ashakali community of Neighbourhood 28 in Fushë Kosovë. Together with Elza, TIP’s volunteer coordinator who was acting as my translator and Hosni, a Neighbourhood 28 local, with a 13 year career at TIP and current head of operations at the Fushë Kosovë Center. We walk together, through winding streets and houses, pausing briefly every so often as people stop to greet Hosni and have a brief chat. It was clear that he is a known and trusted face in the community and it was he who organised my interview with Mirnie.  Mirnie, a housewife with six children ages between infancy and their early teens, lives at the end of a lane in a cement house with wood and corrugated iron trimmings. We exchange greetings, remove our shoes and sit on the carpeted entryway to her home for the interview.

From the start it is clear that pursuing education is the motivation behind Mirnie and her family’s involvement with TIP. Her children are among the most regular attendees of TIP’s classes as well as the regular local school and she emphasises how she makes it a priority to bring the children to and from activities as well as attending literacy herself. Two years ago, she and her children first started at TIP after hearing about it from a neighbourhood friend, testament to how  local word-of-mouth encourages people to get involved. Whilst the eldest children attend the after-school activities, Mirnie is able to leave her younger children at TIP’s kindergarten and attend the adult literacy classes which also function as community support groups where people can share and discuss personal issues in addition to reading and writing. She gives the example of now being able to read the subtitles of television programmes to demonstrate her progress. This balancing however is not easy, caring for children of so many different ages all with different needs, ensuring they remain in school in addition to pursuing her own education requires careful prioritisation and this is once more where TIP comes in. In addition to its classes, TIP can provide school bags and materials as well as, like in Mirnie’s case, extra food to families who show consistent dedication to class attendance. This has a circular effect as it lightens the financial load of food costs, decreasing the likelihood of older children having to leave school early to contribute financially and thus increasing the chances of them receiving a High School diploma and entering University or finding gainful employment. Mirnie hopes that education for herself and her children will bring them a better future and specifically, a better house for them to live in.

 Speaking to Mirnie made me understand how the community function of TIP leads to long-term motivation for stable class and activity attendance. If along all age lines members of your community attend TIP which is within walking distance from your home and who’s educators are trusted faces in touch with the community’s needs, there is a high chance that you will attend too. Education, even on as small a scale as being able to read television subtitles, opens doors to accessing more information and making a broader range of informed and empowered choices.

  Janjeva and Fushë Kosova, sheltered among the picturesque landscapes of Kosovo, where different families live, for many families, whose daily efforts were matched only by their enduring spirit of endurance. Each day presented its own challenges, from putting food on the table to ensuring basic hygiene needs were met. However, among these trials, a thread of hope appeared several years ago in the form of a project in GlobalGiving called "A helping hand to six families in need".

The initiative was born out of a collective desire to extend support across borders, uniting communities and fostering a sense of kinship among distant neighbors. With a focus on providing essential aid, the project aimed to send hygiene and food packages to six families in need, three from Janjeva and three from Fushë Kosova.

In Janjevë, a village known for its rich cultural heritage and tight-knit community, Eset's family was anxiously awaiting the arrival of help. Eseti, a father of two, worked tirelessly to make ends meet, often sacrificing his own needs for the sake of her children. As the package arrived on their doorstep, adorned with messages of hope and solidarity, tears of gratitude welled up in Eset's eyes. The generosity of strangers had touched their lives in ways they never thought possible.

Meanwhile, in Fushë Kosovë, Idrizi's family was happy when he received the package. Idrizi, the father of three children, had been struggling to provide for his family since he lost his job due to unforeseen circumstances. The sight of carefully curated provisions filled their humble home with warmth and renewed hope for the future.

Across borders, these acts of kindness transcended language barriers and cultural differences, weaving a tapestry of compassion that bound communities together. As the families unwrapped their gifts, they found not only essential supplies, but also a sense of connection to a world beyond their own.

And as the sun set over the hills of Kosovo, casting its golden glow over the villages and towns below, it illuminated the beauty of humanity in its purest form – the willingness to lend a helping hand to those who have more need.