Media and Civil Society

Strengthening civil society groups to serve as advocates on behalf of the citizens’ needs and better informed citizenry has been USAID’s long-term effort.

Since 1999, USAID has targeted and worked closely with Kosovo civil society so that it can function as a watch-dog demanding action and accountability from the government in achieving good governance. USAID's work with independent media has ensured that citizens have access to balanced news and information.

Current Activities

1. Strengthening Independent Minority Media
2. Kosovo Civil Society Strengthening Program
3. Kosovo Anti-trafficking Project
4. Kosovo Maternal and Child Health Program


Strengthening Independent Minority Media

The Strengthening Minority Media (SIMM) Program focuses on the needs of minority media in Kosovo. The program aims to develop both radio and TV networks and to improve program production to expand the opportunities for minority communities in Kosovo to access quality, balanced information from all over Kosovo.

The principal objectives of the program include:

• Link and strengthen minority broadcast media
  The program works in partnership with Serbian language stations to strengthen the quality of news production through targeted grants for program production and newsroom facility improvements. Through participation in the networks, stations will be able to share content. The Strengthening Independent Minority Media Program also uses local and international consultants and trainers to enhance partners’ program production, their technical quality, and business management practices. This will help ensure that Kosovo Serb broadcast media will provide professional local news to citizens as the stations advance toward commercial sustainability.
• Strengthen independent media supporting institutions
  Media institutions are being strengthened through provision of legal advice and assistance in development and implementation of media legislation, with particular attention to the enabling environment for private minority media. Staffed with a Kosovo media law adviser and a pro bono consultant for re-licensing and digitalization issues, this component of the SIMM Program focuses on working with the Independent Media Commission (IMC) and the Minority Media Fund. The program provides the Minority Media Fund with advisory services to help prepare its legal basis and develop a transparent grant process for the fund.

Kosovo Civil Society Strengthening Program

USAID’s current Civil Society Strengthening Program builds on years of work with civil society that began in 2001. The implementation of USAID-supported activities has helped change the civil society landscape by introducing advocacy as a core activity of civil society.

The current program focuses on three outcomes:

• Capacity building and advocacy
  USAID, through its partner the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), works with individual NGOs or NGO coalitions, USAID aims to strengthen their capacity to advocate for public policy issues while establishing a dynamic and diverse culture of advocacy. In partnership with selected local grant-making organizations and a consulting network established to help build NGO capacity, the Kosovo Civil Society Strengthening Program provides grants to support advocacy on a cross-section of high-priority issues facing Kosovo citizens at the community, municipal, regional or national level.
• Outreach and inclusion of Kosovo Serb and other minority NGOs
  This activity provides support to strengthen Kosovo Serb and other minority NGOs to effectively represent and advocate for their constituents and interact more actively with their NGO colleagues from other ethnic groups. Outreach to Kosovo Serb NGOs is led by the Center for Civil Society Development (CCSD), based in Mitrovica.
• Improving the NGO legal and regulatory framework
  USAID is supporting the development of the NGO sector by strengthening the institutional capacity of the NGO Department within the Ministry of Public Services, improving the legal framework for NGOs, and developing mechanisms for NGO and Government cooperation.

Kosovo Anti-trafficking Project

The Kosovo Anti-Trafficking Project project is designed to:

• assist governmental and nongovernmental structures in their support and empowerment of victims of trafficking
• strengthen shelters’ capacities for sustained provision of victims’ assistance
• help prevent trafficking of persons

Supporting shelters and victims of trafficking
Shelters are being assisted in providing a sustainable and secure temporary living environment for victims of trafficking, and helping victims of trafficking by preventing further harm and enabling recovery and reintegration.

Additionally, shelters are being assisted in operating effectively, and increasing their sustainability, within the counter-trafficking victim assistance/protection framework in Kosovo. Both victims’ service providers and victims of trafficking are being assisted with the start-up of business activities. These activities will generate income for rehabilitation and reintegration, and create employment and self-employment opportunities.

Community participation and prevention
The project is working with social networks to identify and assist people who are likely targets of traffickers. These social networks include social workers, community leaders, teachers and youth peers.

The project empowers and connects youth, particularly those considered to be at greater risk, by increasing their vocational, education, employment, and business opportunities, as well as their participation in social networks.

This Kosovo Anti-Trafficking Project is implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Academy for Educational Development (AED) with USAID support.


Kosovo Maternal and Child Health Program

The Kosovo Maternal and Child Health Program helps reduce infant mortality and improve maternal health by strengthening essential maternal and child health services. The program assists primary and secondary care providers, as well as the Ministry of Health, implement a comprehensive approach to the delivery of maternal and child health services and other key health services for women and children. The three-year project addresses several key areas:

1. Strong, regionalized system of maternal & newborn health care
The program is helping to establish capacity at two regional hospitals to care for at-risk newborns, in addition to the main newborn care offered in Pristina. Providing equipment, supplies, training and side-by-side mentoring of regional hospital staff will reduce infant mortality rates and ease the burden on the Pristina hospital.

The reach of these improvements extends beyond the regional hospitals. Staff at local Family Medicine Centers are also being trained on how to better care for premature infants. Training includes techniques such as proper warming of newborns being transported to another hospital, improving antenatal care for pregnant women, and identifying potential complicated births.

2. Improving pediatric care
Today children are treated in emergency rooms like adult patients, without specialized pediatric care. To ensure effective, basic care at all levels, as well as specialty care at the secondary level, a regionalized pediatric care network is being established. This will include establishing pediatric emergency care.

3. Women's health
The project is improving women's health through increasing health care providers' skills in gynecology and increasing breast and cervical cancer detection and screening.