Widows Fund Fushe Kosova

On a cold January day a conversation with a strong woman like Kimete warms the heart. As she invited me to sit down she started talking about her simple everyday tasks and duties as a self-sufficient mother. While telling us how hard it is for her to carry the wellbeing of her family on her back, she can’t help but get emotional thinking about the future of her daughters. 

Kimete is a widow from Fushe Kosova, taking care of her two daughters aged 14 and 18. For several years, it has been her duty to fulfill the basic needs of her family, even though, due to her health issues, she is not able to. Even though life hasn’t been easy for her, she still remains optimistic for the future, as she says, thanking all the good hearted people who never fail to make her life better and to help her be the head of the family she deserves to be. 

“You have kept me alive with all your help” was one of the many grateful messages she never forgets to use when showing huge gratitude to all the people who are helping her out. 

A few years ago, she lost her husband and thenceforward she was left with all the responsibilities of the household, which she tries her best to accomplish. One of the death-bed wishes her husband left to Kimete and her daughters was to always celebrate their daughter’s birthdays as these celebrations were the best memories they had together. Kimete softy told me how she wouldn’t be able to celebrate any of her daughter’s birthdays without the help of others. On every birthday of her daughters she cooks a small cake which for them is an important tradition and a way of connecting with their father while keeping the promise they gave to him. 

In Kimete’s brown eyes you can see her pain and her gratefulness for the people who help become the mother she wants to be through helping her provide the basic needs for her family. 

The hospitality she gives to anyone visiting her and her gratefulness for all the people who are helping her out are a reflection of her pure heart that desires nothing but a normal life.

 
Gratefully, 
The Ideas Partnership 

Adversities throughout a lifespan are inevitable, but how we deal with them is controllable. At least we got to see this practice early on these past months through the pandemic of 2020.

A very hard time for all of us, indeed. At one hand the responsibility towards the groups in need and on the other hand the limitations and difficulties of accessing these same groups.

Being at the same time a mother and a father for your children is not easy, that's what all of the widows included in the project agreed on. "The burden is heavy" they say, but at the same time makes you resilient.

Because of your continuous support we managed to not let these families run out of hope, even though in times of a global pandemic, where each of us were in a danger of health. Up to 30 women with their families got food and hygiene packages, for several months and are all in good health, fortunately.

The voice of gratitude of all of the women and families we support through this project is dedicated to all of the donors who very kindly gave their support all these months and continue further, creating access to nutrition and other services for these vulnerable groups, as we all deserve as humans.

Altogether, we managed to turn adversity into an opportunity. Thank you!

Links:

• The Ideas Partnership's webpage