Widows Fund Fushe Kosova

Prishtina and Fushe Kosovo are a simple 20-minute car journey away from each other, but the atmosphere and economic prospects of their respective populations are continents apart. The former: a vibrant, bustling capital city of the youngest country and population in Europe. The latter: a forgotten settlement, blighted by pollution, unemployment and most shockingly, lack of educational opportunities - an aspect of life so many of us take for granted.

From the most adverse situations, heroes emerge. Latife is one of them. Widowed during the Kosovo War, we had the pleasure of being invited into her home to see the lengths she goes to in caring for her 13 year-old nephew alone. Alongside the warmest of fireplaces was a clear unconditional love for him, and a desire to ensure he grows up with more opportunities than she did. But, there is so much more all of us could do to help people in the same situation as Latiffe.

Latife grew up in the toughest of circumstances, and this lack of opportunity has an impact to this day like it does with so many of her neighbours. She is illiterate, but does what she can to support her nephew such as scouring rubbish to find anything valuable. She then reinvests this into the young boy’s education. With her son in jail, her daughter-in-law fled the family home when Latife’s nephew (her son) wasn’t even out of nappies. In many social circumstances like this, the government would step in to help. Not Latife’s.

Her internal strength is supplemented by the amazing work The Ideas Partnership does to support her. The organisation has helped cover her for food, transport and other expenses for the last seven years. For Latife’s nephew to continue to prosper, this great work simply cannot stop. A small donation may be a monetary figure, but the value it could add to Latife and her nephew’s life is priceless.

I went visiting Selvije’s family on a warm October morning. As she was preparing her grandchildren for school, she happily accepted my invitation to talk more about her family’s situation.
Selvije lives with her seven sons and four daughters. The oldest of them got married and now has children of their own. The youngest child of Selvije is 15 years old.

I ask about Selvije’s husband. In a deep sad voice, she tells me that her husband died in a traffic accident two years ago. She had taken care of him for many years before his death as he had diabetes and wasn’t able to work and to provide for his family. During that time, the only income in the family was the monthly financial assistance provided by the municipality for the families in need. That amount did not cover all the costs the family had. Selvije’s children were the ones to suffer the most as they couldn’t’ go to school, nor dream of continuing their higher education. This is the reason most of them now have to work in absence of their father. They usually make money in recycling scrap metal or plastic.

The only help Selvije and her children got through the years was the medical supplies and school materials donated by The Ideas Partnership. It was your donations that made possible for us to help her family. Thank you for all you do for the wellbeing of some of the most vulnerable families in Kosovo!