It’s a tough job… but someone has to do it!

One of the delights of representing the UU.S. Government is that you are constantly invited to try the finest of local products. Here, Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Murphy samples the “Honey Rakia” produced by the Sarski Roj Honey Association in the Sharr/ Šar Mountains. The DCM stopped in at the honey association during an August 31st trip to Štrpce/Shtërpcë to visit local USAID beneficiaries. Murphy also toured the facilities at Scardus, a company that collects and processes forest mushrooms and berries. Both firms have benefitted from USAID grants and technical assistance designed to improve production and expand their access to markets.

But the Embassy’s MAIN purpose for the jaunt down to Štrpce/Shtërpcë was to open two USAID-funded citizen services offices in the remote villages of Brod and Sevce. One village is populated by Serbs and the other by Albanians, but all have great difficulty getting to the municipal office in Štrpce/Shtërpcë during the winter. That limited citizens’ ability to apply for civil documents such as marriage certificates, permits and identification cards. Residents explained their problem to community leaders and the municipal government responded. With the assistance of USAID, the municipal government established the satellite offices, which are digitally linked to the municipality and to government ministries in Pristina. The DCM joined the Mayor of Štrpce/Shtërpcë Municipality Bratislav Nikolic in the inauguration events. In remarks at the new office in Sevce, the DCM noted that the future of Kosovo depends on local governments being responsive to citizens’ needs and supporting economic development.