Conflict & Devastation

Almost 1 million people fled Kosova when war broke out in 1996, creating Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II.

After the war, thousands of Kosovans returned to find their homes had been looted and burned to ground, leaving them unable to restart their lives. Many schools had also been destroyed and thousands of landmines had been planted all over the province.

Current Situation

The war ended in 1999 but Kosova’s future as an independent nation or an autonomous province within Serbia is still unclear. This has led to slow development in the province and many families remain poor.

Local authorities have taken some steps to reduce poverty in the province by providing families in Kosova’s poorest communities with around €60 a month, but this is not enough.

It is difficult for female-headed households to provide for their families, as the loss of the breadwinner often means the loss of a sustainable income. Widows and orphans are therefore amongst the most vulnerable members of Kosovan society.

As well as financial hardship, many women and children suffer from psychological trauma as a result of the conflict.

Islamic Relief in Kosova

Since 1999 Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) has contributed to post-war relief and reconstruction in Kosova.

One of IRW’s goals in Kosova is to help people become self-sufficient, so that they will no longer need to rely on the international community.

IRW works in the Drenic region in the districts of Skenderaj, Drenas and Malisheya. During the war, much of the fighting was concentrated in this region and Skenderaj has the highest population of widows and orphans in Kosova.

IRW’s projects in Kosova have included infrastructure development, emergency shelter, school rehabilitation, orphans sponsorship, small business loans, medicine distribution, psychosocial programmes for women and seasonal Ramadhan and Qurbani food distributions.

IR has also worked in partnership with UNICEF on a major Mine Awareness project.

Currently, IRW is focusing on a large microcredit programme in Kosovo. Other ongoing projects include orphans programmes, summer schools and Ramadhan and Qurbani food distributions. Thousands of families are benefiting from IRW’s work in Kosova and there are plans to expand the projects to reach more people.