think globally,
act locally

Projects in 2012

In 2012 Syri i Vizionit continued with its projects and engagements by expanding its partners and donors’ network, the number of beneficiaries from the implemented projects, as well as playing the role of an important actor of civic life in the region and wider. Over the course of this year, a part of the projects started in the earlier years ended, while new projects started or they were part of the ongoing partnerships built up over years. Ten persons were engaged in various projects over the year; while they were 15 long-term projects, not taking into account certain activities and short campaigns. Communities of different areas through Kosovo, focusing on western Kosovo, benefited from these projects. Projects with various community groups were developed in different areas, including rural ones. These groups were earlier neglected or not supported, as well as organized groups, which did not enjoy any support until our organization provided it.

The projects implemented this year included continuation of some of the major projects started in the earlier years. This relates to very important partnerships that our organization has with Solidar Suisse (former SLA) from Switzerland and Olof Palme International Center from Sweden. Continuity was maintained with the Swiss partners on two projects that included social dialogue support in the health sector and support to strengthening secondary vocational education in the municipality of Pejë. Meanwhile, the phase for drafting action strategies with minority communities in municipalities was concluded, whereas a new phase of the project was started that supports active citizenship and civic engagement mechanism strengthening.

Started in 2011, during this year we continued the project with Care International on youth peace leaders, law on nature implementation monitoring with NDI, urban mobility project – Mobkos, and young voters’ education under the auspices of “Democracy in Action” coalition. Two mini-projects were completed in Rugova Gorge under the “Dukagjini and Rugova Valley Access Action Program” that Municipality of Pejë was granted by the European Commission: the project for community’s work in the area and walk-paths towards the Channel, and the bus line for tourism needs in Rugova Valley. To preserve the continuity of this project, SiV supported staff of this project in establishing a nongovernmental organization and opening of the Visitors’ Centre, while it was part of community activities in relation to the Law on Cursed Mountains.

Two projects in the field of child rights, protection from violence, trafficking, etc. were implemented with the support of the international organization Save the Children. Three road festivals on communities’ culture were organized in centers of Prizren, Gjakovë and Pejë towns, while with Saferworld we carried out an awareness campaign on weapons. With the YIHR program we promoted dialogue, human rights and democracy, while these topics were tackled within a new project for cooperation supported by the British Embassy in Belgrade.

A part of activities that were carried out during the year focused on supporting initiatives of citizens, non-formal groups and the ones under establishment. These activities were carried out through the Office for Support and Counseling, opened under the auspices of the organization. Youth volunteers of our organization got involved in households’ research for streets’ digitalizing and road naming needs.
In terms of internal capacity building of the organization, over the course of this year we complemented professionalization of our staff through their participation in trainings and other capacity building courses that involved both organization’s staff and volunteering activists.
 

Dialogue on Health - KOSANA

Project title: Dialogue on Health - KOSANA
Duration: 12 months (January 2012 – December 2012)
Place: Kosovo
Implementing Organizations: Syri I Vizionit in corporation with Solidar Suisse
Budget: 14,400 € 
Donor: Solidar Suisse


Project aim: This project aims to improve the health and social security of the population of Kosovo through supporting health insurance scheme that covers all citizens and promote fair working conditions of health care.
Beneficiaries: Direct beneficiaries of this program are individuals, doctors and civil society organizations which aim to support the improvement of working conditions for health workers and the quality of health care services.
Project realization: During 2012 Solidar Suisse has begun the program of the dialogue on health, in which “Syri I Vizionit” in corporation with Solidar Suisse has had the responsibility to organize the race open to individuals and organizations of civil society, monitoring the implementation of projects by the beneficiaries of calls and conferences. During this period SIV has received applications from individuals and organizations that have applied to the open call for projects, also has contacted the jury consisting of five members that have evolved initiatives of individuals and organizations. The jury has evaluated 4 initiatives to be supported by individuals as well as a project of civil society organizations. Initiatives are supported by the program, as well as “SiV”  has had also the responsibility to monitor the realization of the initiatives. SiV has organized informational meetings with all the individuals and organizations who have applied as well as the meeting of the results’ declaration by the jury.

Activities and Results:
•    The opening of the call for applications from individuals and organizations
•    The receiving of 12 applications from individuals and organizations
•    Jury selection for the assessment of individual initiatives as well as five members of organizations evaluating projects
•    Supporting of 6 initiative of individuals and two projects of civil society organizations
•    Organizing of two information meetings with applicants and declaration of results
 

Social Dialogue on Milk Sector

Project Title: Social Dialogue on milk sector
Duration: 12 months (January 2012 – December 2012)
Place: Kosovo
Implementing organizations: Syri I Vizionit in corporation with Solidar Suisse
Budget: 6,970 €
Donor: Solidar Suisse

Project aim: This project aims on empowering of the manufactures and the processors on milk sector: their officials during milk sampling, project’s administration, transparency and neutrality during the sampling of milk from the Association of producers and dairy processors.
Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries are associations of milk producers and processors, administration and project officers who are directly involved in the implementation of the project, farmers and consumers of dairy products.
Project realization: In this project the Association of producers and milk processors, SIV in 2012 has had the responsibility of providing aid workers project in database of farmers, providing the statistics as well as monitoring of projects officers in land during sampling. During this one year period, SiV has visited the project officers in order to be able to see the problems with which they face during the process of taking the samples as well as SiV  has obtained the opinions of farmers about the challenges they face, their opinion about taking samples and the results for milk samples.

Activities and Results:
•    The regulation of the farmers’ list and database processing
•    The monitoring of project officers
•    Realization of 100 questionnaires with farmers from all over Kosova
•    The reporting of the outcome from the research

 

Youth and employment in the Western Balkans

Project Title: Youth and employment in the Western BalkansDuration: 12 months (January 2012 – December 2012)
Place: Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Implementing Organizations:  “Syri i Vizionit” in Corporation with “Solidar Suisse”
Budget: 61,567 € 
The Donor: Solidar Suisse

Project’s Aim: This project aims in the empowering of youth syndicalist section and youth organizations as a preparation and contribute in the social dialogue. As well as the awareness of citizens, politicians and economical decision-makers for the social dialogue, workers’ rights and unemployment among the youth.
Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries are the members of six youth organizations, who are particularly committed on youth issues and employment (unemployment, the rights at the workplace etc.).  The last beneficiaries will be the employees (youth), who benefit from the activities, campaigns, and from reinforced unions, as well as from the sensitization of opinion and politic decision-makers force for the social dialogue topics.
Project realization: The year 2012 is the fourth one since the opening of the international calling for the projects organized from Solidar Suisse and SiV, and the fourth year that it supports the youth organizations that have won in the international projects calling. During this year there are supported six projects as well, all projects within themselves dealt with youth and the possibility of providing or improving of any service  that is offered to the youth. SiV responsibility for the year 2012 was the financial monitoring, administration as well as the organization of regional conference where the organizations have presented  the achievements with the projects that have been realized in the former year.

Activities and Results:
•    The admission of six projects from youth organizations
•    The establishment of six contracts  with six organizations, two from Kosovo, BeH and Serbia
•    The admission of narrative and financial reports from the six organizations
•    The organization  of regional conference

 

Do the Changes that Youth wants to see

Project Title: Do the changes that the youth wants to seeDuration: five months ( November 2012 – March 2013 )
Place: Pejë – Bor
Implementing Organizations:  “Syri i Vizionit” in corporation with “CDA Bor”, Bor
Budget: 9,111.76€ 
The Donor: British Embassy in Belgrade

Project’s Aim: This project aims to create conditions for cooperation, recognition and reconciliation among the youth of Kosovo and Serbia, the improvement of cooperation between the organisations of the civil society in these two places.
The Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries are six volunteers from Kosovo and Serbia that have taken part in the program of exchanging volunteers between Kosovo and Serbia, the youth and society in a broad sense.
Project’s Realisation: During the initial phase of project partner organizations SiV and CDA Bor have made the opening of a calling to apply in the program of exchanging volunteers. In this calling were chosen six volunteers, three from Kosovo and three from Serbia. The three volunteers from Serbia have spent two months in the offices of  SiV organization, whereas three volunteers from Kosovo have stayed two months in CDA Bor. During their staying they have taken part in the organizations activities, but also they have become informed for the situation of the  youth in the city of Bor and Peja. Despite this the volunteers were supposed that together to plan common activities that would be realized in two cities, for which they have decided to realise a photo exhibit in the city of Bor and Peja.

Activities and Results:
•    Choosing three volunteers from Kosovo to take part in the program of exchanging volunteers in the city of Bor.
•    The accommodation of the volunteers from Serbia in the city of Peja
•    The realization of visits in different cities of Kosovo in order to inform the volunteers with the life’s condition of the youth in Kosovo, the realisation of visits in cultural and touristic places
•    The realisation of the research with the youth in the city of Peja and Goraxhdec
•    The distribution of project  promotional materials to the youth ( T-shirts, flyers etc.) for the promotional of the volunteers exchanging program
•    The realisation of the photo exhibit in the Youth Centre “Peja”

The education of new voters

Project Title: The education of new voters
Duration: two months ( 1 October – 30 November 2012 )
Place: Pejë, Klinë, Istog, Decan, Junik and Gjakovë
Implementing Organizations: Syri i Vizionit
Budget: 6.000 € ( via Democracy in action )
Donor: IFES, USAID

Project aim: The general aim of this project is the education of new voters, their sensitization regarding their participation in the first election that are going to be held in Kosovo.
Beneficiaries: The beneficiaries from this project are the youth between the age of 18-19 in more than 200 high school graduates classrooms in the six municipalities of Peja’s region, who have received the appropriate information about their right to vote as soon as they turn 18.
Project’s Realisation: The project has been realised in all high schools of six municipalities of Peja’s region. Ten trainers have been engaged, who according to the foreseen program, have held one hour lecture in each high school graduates classroom, about the importance  of the election, participation in elections, their role as young voters and the importance of participating in elections. During the project students as well  have been encouraged to take part in the essayistic works competition regarding this theme for the competition that has been held in Kosovo.

Activities and Results:
•    The engagement of ten trainers regarding the importance of elections
•    The training about the participation in elections
•    200 lectures in the high school graduates classrooms
•    The competition for the best essay regarding the elections and the right to vote in Kosovo


 

Campaign against gunfire “Time for Action”

Project Title: Campaign against gunfire “Time for Action“
Duration: 1 month ( November 2012 )
Place: Pejë
Budget: 1.000 €
Donor: Forum for Civic Initiatives and SaferWorld

Project Aim: The awareness of the citizens regarding the risks and consequences from the use of weapons, the awareness of the institutions for effective implementation of the Penal Code of Kosovo as well as the Law on weapons.
Beneficiaries: The beneficiaries of this project have been all citizens of municipalities such as Pejë, Istog and Decan as well as Kosovo Police, courts, institutes of prosecution, civil society and different businesses that operate in these municipalities.
Project Realisation: This project includes the realisation of a campaign where numerous volunteers have been engaged and have distributed brochures, posters, have realised a research with passers in different parts of the city in order to aware citizens from the danger that they are threatened by and gunfire and even illegal weapons possession. Also within this campaign a television spot has been prepared, which aimed the awareness against gunfire in different feasts and parties. A public debate has been held also with the security stakeholders, where has been analysed the general situation of security, criminal acts by the use of weapons, the achievements of all stakeholders in the prevention of gunfire and illegal weapon possession.

Activities and Results:
•    Realisation of Press Conferences and the publication of statistics about the perpetrators of gun
•    Reduction in the number of gun shots based on the statistics given from the Police of Kosovo and also the court
•    Wide participation of citizens and institutions in debates and other campaign activities
•    The successful implementation of  “Time for Action” campaign against the gunfire
•    The increasing number of the interventions and weapons seizure by the police of Kosovo
•    Extraction of a statistical analysis of public perception survey that was realised with citizens
•    Raising the awareness of citizens and other stakeholders  over the existence of the law against weapons and the Penal Code of Kosovo.
 

The promotion of dialogue, human rights and democracy

Project Title: The promotion of dialogue, human rights and democracy
Duration: 4 months (May 2012 – September 2012)
Place: Pejë, Istog, Klinë
Implementing Organizations:  Syri i Vizionit
Budget: 3.200 $
Donor: Youth Initiative For Human Rights (YIHR) – Kosovo

Project Aim: Supporting the stable peace among youth of different communities and empowerment of these young people in the promotion of their rights and democracy in Kosovo.
Beneficiaries: The beneficiaries of this project have been the youth of different communities (Albanian, Serbian, Bosnian, Romanian, Egyptian and Ashkali) especially those in rural regions in municipalities such as: Peja , Klina and Istog. Despite these, municipal institutions have been one of the beneficiaries as well, more concretely the Directory for Culture, Youth and Sport in the three municipalities.
Project Realization: We have worked with youth in rural regions who have been participant in the football tour, where they have been encountered with one another, there have been held cultural activities, in which each community has shown their own culture and tradition. Further the youth have visited the Directory for Culture, Youth and Sport in these three municipalities, where they were informed more about their work. We have also realized some visits in religious objects, in order that the youth could get more informed about the religion of one another, so in this way by knowing one another’s culture the prejudices among them will definitely disappear. There have also been realized two radio emissions, whose themes were the forming of peace, human rights and the development of democracy.


Activities and Results:
•    Multiethnic football tour and cultural manifestation
•    Increase of collaboration among the youth through sport and cultural activities
•    Increase of youth collaboration with local institutions precisely with the directory for culture, youth and sport in municipalities
•    Increase of awareness of youth from all communities about culture, religion and one another’s tradition
•    Organization of visits in religious cults
•    Strengthening of the active role of youth in the promotion of their rights and participation in decisional processes

Mismatch (II)

Project Title: Mismatch
Duration: 10 months (1 March – 31 December 2012)
Place: Pejë
Implementing Organizations: Syri i Vizionit
Budget: 15.000 €
Donor: Solidar Suisse

Project Aim: The general aim of this project has been to adapt the vocational high schools of Peja with the needs of the labor market, to increase the educational level and to create competent staff  in those professions that are required in the labor market.
Beneficiaries: From this project have benefited six vocational schools in Peja, whose programs and capacities have been presented in front of the pupils in primary schools. Beneficiaries are 15000 ninth grade pupils from all primary schools in Peja, who were given a proper information in a proper time for their registering in Peja’s high schools. Two testing grades, in the economical high school in Peja have benefited as well, who have attended professional practice in several institutions and businesses of Peja’s municipality, whereas over 30 businesses have benefitted from common activities such as participation in the fair together with different schools.
Project Realization: The project has been realized in cooperation with Peja’s vocational high schools, with whom guides and leaflets have been prepared and distributed to pupils of primary schools in Peja, in order to increase their interest toward these schools. The most important activity that has happened was the fair with high schools and businesses from Peja’s municipality, in order to present the opportunities and professions that these schools offer. Informational guides have been distributed for pupils of 30 primary schools, and in ten schools were also delivered speeches for career advices.  For the students of the two classes, with our mediation, agreement of understanding which was signed between the Economical School and eight subjects from Peja, has been provided, accordingly giving the students the opportunity to finish the professional practice within a month.

Activities and Results:
•    The creation of the coordinated group consisting of schools, businesses and institutios
•    Drafting a guide for vocational high schools of Peja, the branches and opportunities that they offer
•    Drafting the leaflets for each of the vocational high school
•    The distribution of informational guides about the secondary vocational education in Peja, to the ninth grades  in 30 schools of this municipality consisting of 1500 students
•    Career advices for ninth grade students in 1o primary schools
•    Organizing the career fair
•    A TV debate and two advertising spots in the local media
•    The signing of agreements with eight subjects in Peja in order to enable the professional practice for the students of administration in the Economical High School (alb. SHME)
•    The preparation and broadcast of a TV reportage dealing with vocational high schools and the problems of professional practice

 

Promoting Different Communities Cultures through the Street Festival

Project Title: Promoting Different Communities Cultures through the Street Festival
Duration: 5 months  (March 2012 – July 2012)
Place: Pejë, Gjakovë, Prizren
Implementing Organizations:  Syri i Vizionit
Budget: 4,000€
Donor: Culture for all

Project Aim: The project aimed to promote the cultural inheritance of different communities through the performances in street (street festivals).
Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries of the project are at least 10 informal youth groups consisting of about 70 members from different communities that live in the region of Peja, who have been supported to present themselves in front of the public of three big cities and also cooperated with the cultural departments in their municipalities. Cultural institutions are also beneficiary since that from them they were offered another cultural activity in their cities.
Project realization: Festivals have been held in Peja, Gjakova and Prizreni’s squares, where 10 informal youth groups consisting of about 70 young people, have shown their cultural inheritance in dancing, acting, singing, painting and crafts. The performances were seen from citizens that have been familiar with these cultural values of these communities, on the other side there are created good collaboration between the groups of Peja, Prizren, Klina, Istog, Decan and Gjakova’s municipalities.

Activities and Results:
•    10 different cultural groups consisting of different communities are identified in municipalities such as Peja, Klina, Istog, Decan and Gjakova.
•    These informal groups have been informed about this project and they have expressed their willingness to be a part of the street festivals.
•    The informal groups of different communities have been trained and advised how to present their culture and tradition in the best way possible in front of the citizens. These groups have been technically assisted in order to have a good performance .
•    Municipal officials for culture, youth and sport have been informed with the project, and they have supported the project by helping us to use the public spaces for the street festival without charge, in the centres of cities such as Peja, Gjakova and Prizren.
•    Citizens of Prizren, Gjakova and Peja have been informed with the dates when the festival will be held and the aim of this festival, through the posters.
•    Media conferences have been organised in order to inform all the citizens for the festival in their cities. The local medias have transmitted the street festivals in the three cities: Prizren, Gjakova, and Peja.
•    The successful organisations of three street festivals in the cities of Prizren, Gjakova and Peja, where 10 groups of different communities with different traditions were
presented in front of the citizens in these municipalities.





 

Active Citizenship Kosova

Project Title: Active Citizenship Kosova
Duration: 12 months (January 2012 – December 2012)
Place: Pejë, Klinë, Istog, Decan, Rahovec
Implementing Organizations: Syri i Vizionit
Budget: 57.961.93€
Donor: Olof Palme International Center

Project Aim: The project aims in a general commitment of all the citizens of Kosovo, to be a part of the decision making processes focusing in the region of Peja and Prizren.
Beneficiaries: Village representatives of 5 local communions of Peja, Istog, Klina, Decan and Rahovec’s municipalities, representatives of organizations of civil society in the region of Peja and Prizren, as well as all citizens of Kosova.
Project Realization:
The project “Active Citizenship” is focused in five local communions (Rugova, Vrella, Xërxë, Isniq and Grabanice) in five municipalities of Peja, Istog, Rahovec, Decan and Klina’s region. These advices of local communions and organizations of civil society are supported in order to get empowered to be self carriers of responsibilities, to finish themselves the activities in the name of the communities of communions that they present. To achieve this there were held a series of professional trainings in different fields such as advocacy, writing project proposals and fundraising.
As another mechanism to help the advices of local communions, civil society and other interest groups in Peja, the Helping and Advisory Office is opened, which continuously has helped the heads of local communions in writing the requirements, complaints or project ideas, to present them in due time to the institutions. This office has offered help and continuous consultations  to other civil society’s organizations too, to prepare financial reports, writing the projects as well as it has helped many informal groups in means of telling them how to register an NGO, helping them in the preparation of required documents, etc.
Another advocacy tool that has served to distribute the information to the citizens has also been the web page www.aktivizohu.org, through which information of how to develop an active citizenship were given, there have also been published problems with which citizens from different municipalities of Kosovo face with.

Activities and Results:
•    The creation of 5 territorial community councils in the regions of Peja and Prizren
•    The implementation of trainings for the territorial community councils
•    The implementation of trainings with the civil society’s organizations in the region of Peja and Prizren
•    The creation of the website for the citizens
•    Offering of advices for many citizens for manner, advocacy forms and the rights they have to receive services from the institutions
•    Spreading numerous information about the citizens initiatives that have served as good experiences for citizens of other places in Kosovo and beyond
•    Addressing all citizens’ requirements to the relevant institutions and supporting them
•    The mobilisation of citizens and raising their voice to participate in the decision making processes
•    The functioning of the liaison and advisory office within the project
•    The direct support of citizens by offering them information and communication opportunities through the website.

 

Protection against Violence

Project Title: Protection against Violence
Duration: 7 months (June 2012 –December 2012)
Place: Pejë, Gjakovë
Implementing Organizations: Syri i Vizionit
Budget: 16.410 €
Donor: Save the Children

Project Aim: Preventing and reacting to violence against children and the empowering of children’s capacities.
Beneficiaries: Beneficiaries of this project are four schools consisting of about 4.000 pupils in the region of Peja and Gjakova. Direct beneficiaries are also the teachers and parents, as well as the municipal directorates of education in these two municipalities
Project Realisation: In this project we have worked with the pupils of four schools to increase their capacities and mechanism to protect their rights. A code of conduct is drafted and it is put in the schools’ corridors as a form of a big banner in the schools: Lidhja e Prizrenit and Ramiz Sadiku in Peja, Emin Duraku and Mustafa Bakija in Gjakova. The libraries of these schools have also benefitted, they are enriched with different school titles at about 1000 books.

Activities and Results:
•    Situation analysis in the schools of municipalities of Peja and Gjakova about the mechanisms and children protection from the violence.
•    The realisation of continuous meetings with schools councils
•    The realisation of common trainings of school councils including pupils, teachers and parents
•    The realisation of lectures and marking the international day of children’s rights
•    Direct help for schools by helping in the empowering of school’s libraries
•    The designing of the code of conduct in four schools


 

The reacting program towards children’s trafficking

Project Title: The reacting program towards children’s trafficking
Duration: 5 months (November 2012 – March 2013)
Place: Pejë, Gjakovë
Implementing Organisations: Syri i Vizionit
Budget: 16,585.20 €
Donor: Save the Children

Project Aim: Increasing the level of consciousness of the community and children in schools concerning the prevention, control and fight against human and children’s trafficking, raising issues through cooperating with all stakeholders to protect children in order to achieve change in institutional level.
Beneficiaries: Direct beneficiaries of this project are the primary schools “Ramiz Sadiku” in Peja and “Zekeria Rexha” in Gjakova, the key target group of school principals, teachers and 40 pupils from two schools. Beneficiaries are also governmental and non-governmental institutions which address the children rights protection, they will also be included during the investigation of the situation in municipalities from the group of local experts in Peja and Gjakova.
Project Realisation: The project has been realised in two municipalities, that of Peja and Gjakova. The eye of vision  (alb. Syri i Vizionit) in cooperation with Save the Children and other institutions have chosen these two primary schools, in which together with the schools’ principal were chosen 40 children aged between 11 – 15 (20 per school), where were included also pupils that belonged to the communities such as Romanian, Egyptian and Ashkali.
Through some informational trainings, organising the ToT trainings are chosen 14 pupils (7 per school) who attend the trainings for trainers in seven different topics for human rights. After finishing these trainings, the pupils themselves will hold trainings (lectures) to their coevals in those topics that they have been trained.
The project also includes two activities based on children’sdesire, the first one in the international say of children rights on 20 November 2012 and the other based on the children’s desire.

Activities and Results:
•    Informational meetings with schools principals in Peja and Gjakova and with the pupils groups and also the selection of beneficiary pupils
•    The common activity with 40 pupils in the international day of children rights.
•    Seven ToT trainings with the themes of children rights, prevention of human beings, etc.
•    Forming of the research group of local experts in the municipality of Peja and Gjakova
•    Investigation and publication of the report about the situation in municipalities of Peja and Gjakova
•    Trainings delivered from trained pupils themselves to other pupils of the school
•    The organisation of an activity, that lasted one day, with the group of 40 pupils, based on their requirements and ideas.