Widows Fund Fushe Kosova

 In the community of Fushe Kosove, there is a distinct difference between this place and the city of Prishtina just twenty minutes away. Riding further into the community, an overwhelming sense of poverty surrounds you. Trash and abandoned furniture lay by the side of the roads. The tires of passing cars sweep up dirt and dust which fill the streets. With the beginning of Summer break, young children have no other activities than to play in the street. Many people here lack the basic daily necessities of food and hygiene products. It is clear this is a community whose people need support.

 Elmije, a widower of 13 years, is one of these people. When her oldest son was just eight years old, her husband passed away. This left her tasked with raising five young children on her own. Elijme has done her best but still struggles even today. In the struggling economy of Fushe Kosove, it has been difficult for she and her children to find work.

 Elmije is next in line to receive proceeds from the Global Giving Widows Fund and desperately needs it to pay for medical expenses. She has been diagnosed with cancer of the stomach. She must have an operation to remove some of the cancer but does not have the money to do so. In a private hospital, the operation costs 2,000 euro, but because she can not afford this, she must go to a public hospital and be placed on a two-year wait list. Since her diagnosis, the cancer has spread moving into the upper left side of her torso. Everyday she experiences pain all throughout her body causing her to lose sleep.

 In the past, Elmije has benefited from The Ideas Partnership through gardening which allowed her to learn how to grow her own food. Currently, however, with her worsening medical condition, she is unemployed. With your generous donations, Elmije hopes she can save up enough money for her operation. She says she is very appreciative of any help she receives and hopes she is able to have her operation soon.

   Fidan would have turned 38 in May. His mother, Drita, clearly recalls the day she saw him for the last time. At that time, she was happily looking after Fidan’s son, Bekir, who was only 1 year old, while Fidan’s daughter, Rrezarta, 6, was in school.

The news of the accidental death of Fidan shocked the whole family. He was a respected community member, with a very important job position in the municipality, from where he contributed to the improvement of the well-being of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, the most marginalized communities in Kosovo. He was the only member of the family who had a job. He left behind his wife and two children, Rrezarta and Bekir. A year after his death, the children's mother abandoned her children and started a new life somewhere else.

Grandmother Drita was left with the burden of raising her nephew and niece alone. However, she didn’t consider this as a burden. Her eyes are full of happiness when talking about them and their achievements. She doesn’t want to mention all the difficulties and challenges endured during this period of raising her grandchildren when she remembers that Rrezarta has already finished school, and Bekir who is now 13 years old is doing very well in his lessons. She is proud of her grandchildren, for the people they have become.

 “When I heard that my son had died, I couldn’t help but wish to be dead myself too. I couldn’t believe that he was gone. But I moved forward because my grandchildren needed me. Their mother left, as well, and they had no one else. I started taking care of them, and they kept me alive. I am so thankful for having them in my life.”

During these years, we have helped Drita and the children with food, clothes and academic material so they could go to school. All this support was made possible thanks to your generosity from far away. She is very thankful for your help appreciating every penny sent to help her raise her grandchildren.

Her name, Drita, means light.
And she is the brightest light in the lives of her grandchildren.