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USAID/OTI Kosovo Field Report

May 19 - June 2, 2000

SITUATION IN THE REGION

On Monday, May 22 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's (FRY) court in Nis, Serbia, sentenced 145 Gjakovars accused of terrorism against the government to a combined 1645 years in prison. The reaction of the community in Gjakova was one of disbelief, despair and outrage. At 3 p.m., between two and three thousand citizens began a peaceful demonstration. The demonstrators marched to the municipal building, angered by what they saw as inaction and incompetence on this issue by municipal and local political leaders and the international community. The President of the Administrative Board, Mazllom Kumnova and the local TMK commander, both targets of the crowd's accusations and anger, feared that they could not control the situation. KFOR and UNMIK security arrived in full force by 4 p.m. At 4:30 p.m. the UNMIK Municipal Administrator addressed the parents and relatives of the detainees, urging calm and pledging assistance. Political leaders Agim Thaci and Ramush Haridinaj arrived in Gjakova at 10 p.m., addressed the crowd of almost one thousand and met with two hundred family members in the municipal building. Both Thaci and Haridinaj were accused of doing little to address the issue. The meeting ended by 11:30 p.m. and the crowd peacefully dispersed. The following day, May 23, the United Nations Special Representative to Kosovo Bernard Kouchner and members of the JIAC arrived in Gjakova and met with parents and family members of the prisoners. Security was tight and there were no incidents.

USAID/OTI HIGHLIGHTS

Kosovo-wide

Since June 1999, USAID/OTI Kosovo has awarded 313 grants, valued at $7.25 million to over 250 Kosovo-based local partners.

Media Support: USAID/OTI continues to work closely with the USAID Mission, OSCE, UNMIK, KFOR and others to assist in the development of the terrestrial broadcasting system for Kosovo. Final resolution of the configuration of this network is still elusive and OTI's role and potential additional contributions remains unclear. OTI is developing a long-term grant with Zeri newspaper to ensure proper coverage of community events and civic action, especially as Kosovo approaches local elections. Radio Besa in Prizren has approached OTI for funding for a daily call-in show dedicated to the elections, and dissemination of elections-related information. Finally, consideration of several proposals continues for Serbian-language radio stations in the Gjilan area to counter the information that flows in from Belgrade.

Gjakova/Djakovica Region

Community Engagement: OTI's Gjakova office is working with a number of community improvement councils (CICs), including Bobaj i Bokes, Popoc, Meje, Shishman, Smolice, and communities (Brekoc, Zhub, Vogov, Firze, Korenica, Ponoshec, Morina, Molliq, Batusa) to develop a project to provide bus transportation for primary and secondary school children from these villages during the next school year. The objective is to enhance the safety of children who walk to school and improve school attendance. During the reporting period, OTI Gjakova staff met frequently with representatives from Radio Gjakova and CICs in Nivokaz, Lipovec, Popoc, Old Town, two Gjakova Neighborhoods and the Gjakova Brick Factory to work out procurement and delivery issues and monitor project implementation activities. Staff also met with several groups in the city of Rahovac to discuss the possibility of forming a CIC.

Grants Activity:

• Electrical Work - Village of Mirusha: Work is nearly complete in repairs to this electrical grid.
• Old Town Reconstruction: Drying of the wood for the facades is scheduled to be complete by June 10, at which time factory workers will begin constructing the facades.

Gjilan/Gnjilane Region

Community Engagement: Meetings were held with four CICs. Ongoing projects were discussed at three of the meetings, while the fourth one, in Zhegra, explored relationships between the CIC and political parties in the village. The Party for Prosperity and Democracy in Kosovo (PPDK) members of the CIC stated that they have been told not to participate in the CIC, however, they continue to do so, "not as representatives of PPDK, rather as representatives of their neighborhoods".

Grants Activity

• Radio Programming - Radio Viktorija in Kamenica has approached USAID/OTI with a request to hold a weekly one-hour broadcast dedicated to community-based initiatives. As an introduction, OTI staff gave an interview on the radio to discuss community improvement projects.
• Slubica Road - The Sllubica road project is completed. A 2.2 km road was built between Pogradj and Sllubica. The villagers donated their time and use of their machines for much of the leveling of the ground.

Mitrovica Region

Community Engagement: The office held over 18 meetings since the last reporting period. Most CIC meetings dealt with ongoing projects and future project ideas. However, both the division of Mitrovica and Trepca mines dominated the discussion. Most CICs are now beginning to think of ways to offer both UNMIK and KFOR solutions to these problems.

Grants Activity:

• Vushtrri Park - The park project is coming along well. The CIC is involved in both overseeing the project and contributing labor to it.

Peje/Pec Region

Community Engagement: During the reporting period, KTI Peja held two town hall meetings, five Community Improvement Council (CIC) meetings, seven meetings with CIC project working groups and four meetings with local journalists from Radio Peja and Radio Dukagjini. The community groups in Barane, Dubrava, Kryshec, Mahalla e Bates and Saradran have been at the forefront of encouraging and facilitating the regular participation of their respective communities at large.

Grants Activity:

• Infrastructure repairs - Work on the road project in Cerovik and for the drainage canal rehabilitation in Mahalla e Bates should begin in the immediate future. The International Rescue Committee has called for bids, which are now being analyzed by both IRC and CIC members.

Prishtine/Pristina Region

Community Engagement: OTI staff met with approximately ten communities over the reporting period through CICs and Town Hall meetings, discussing proposals for future projects as well as assessing their own resources and ability to contribute.

Grant Activity:

• Road Improvement for Hospital and Veternik - The project is finished, with some delays due to bad weather and gravel quality. The CIC organized a well-attended Town Hall meeting following project completion to assess its success.

Prizren Region

Community Engagement: OTI staff attended three town hall and 13 CIC meetings over the reporting period. Staff also met daily with a women's group, Kosovarja. PPDK in Bllace has replaced all the members of the village CIC with their party members. OTI is in the process of discussing this issue with UNMIK in Suhareka and considering future steps.

Grant Activity:

• Sewing project - Equipment and materials have been procured for the Bellanica Women's Group, and the project is running well.
• Kosovarja Women's Group - The group proposed to revive old turkish baths in Prizren and open a souvenir shop. UNMIK Ministry of Culture is now assessing whether the old building, marked as cultural heritage, can be used for such purposes.

SUMMARY OF PROJECT ACTIVITY

COORDINATION

• A one-day festival was held on Sunday, May 21 at a city park to acknowledge the community and student volunteers who have worked on the Gjakova "Just Clean It" campaign. Over two thousand adults and children attended the community event. USAID/OTI staff from the Mitrovica and Gjakova offices arranged for representatives from a youth group in Skenderaj to attend the festival and meet with Gjakova student council and Kosovar Youth Council representatives to exchange ideas.
• The USAID/OTI Gjakova office is working with the student councils of the four Gjakova town secondary schools and three NGOs (the Kosovar Youth Council, Balkan Sunflowers, and Save the Children) on establishing a youth center in Gjakova. Student representatives have begun a petition campaign seeking UNMIK and municipal council support for the center.
• KFOR Civilian Police (CIVPOL) in Mitrovica continue to meet with CICs and communities in town hall meetings. They have initiated two CICs themselves using the OTI model as a template.
• Cooperation continues with UNDP in Peje, with nearly all projected activity nearing completion.

Program Feature: Kryshec Youth Take on Community Improvement Agenda

Nearly a month ago, the Kryshec Area CIC was invigorated following the incorporation of 12 youth members, each representing a class from the local primary school. The students took quickly to the CIC approach and identified a number of projects that, according to them, were priorities. Consensus formed amongst the CIC, adults and youth alike, that the need for a fence to surround the schoolyard and the site of a new clinic was paramount. Against the desires of school administration and students, local residents continue to allow their cattle to graze in the schoolyard and use the area as a rubble dumpsite.

OTI challenged the students to solicit support for the fence project from the three surrounding villages. Within just two hours of the meeting, the students had already collected 300 DM, and eventually collected more than 500 DM. The students are now not only committed to this specific project, but to the CIC as well. Their involvement was credited by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for their interest in funding the fence project, which is awaiting final approval. The students have been empowered and, based on their own impressions, have learned a concrete mechanism through which to solicit funds for their prioritized needs. OTI, to further solidify the lesson, is contemplating a matching funds program approach to sponsor a school field trip. If approved, USAID/OTI would match the funds collected by the students, allowing many of them to leave their villages to visit other areas of Kosovo for the first time.

BHR/OTI's Kosovo Transition Initiative is implemented through work of OTI's own field staff, the RONCO Corporation and IOM, the International Organization for Migration.