ADOPT A SCHOOL IN KOSOVO: 2008-02-03

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Czech highschool first one to adopt elementary school in Kosovo

Kosovoschools celebrates! - On 7 February 2008 the Czech grammar school Gymnazium Nad Aleji from Prague adopted the Novolan/Nevolan elementary school in Vushtrri/Vučitrn municipality of northern Kosovo. This is the first succesfully accomplished adoption facilitated by Kosovoschools. Gymnazium Nad Aleji decided to kindly provide a generous load of English books, textbooks and dictionaries, some of which are also intended for the students of the Eqrem Cabej highschool in Vushtrri/Vučitrn town. Congratulations and many thanks to Gymnazium Nad Aleji for being the first school to take the initiative and Adopt a School in Kosovo. Its effort will make a great difference to the educational opportunities of local children. Kosovoschools will provide further information on the delivery of the books which are to reach Kosovo by the end of next week thanks to the support of the Czech contingent of KFOR. Finally, many thanks to those, who volunteered to pick and pack the books (Mrs. Stiborkova and Mrs. Ferjencikova from Nad Aleji) and to deliver them to the logistic base of Czech Army (Mrs. Cechova). Kosovoschools is convinced that this first accomplished adoption and its first soon-to-be-completed delivery sets a succesful precedent to motivate more schools to join us soon.

Czech KFOR to support Kosovoschools!

Already by the end of next week, supply trucks of the Czech contingent of KFOR (Kosovo Force) are to bring more than 250 kilos of English books and dictionaries to its base at Sajkovac. The books were donated by Gymnazium Nad Aleji in Prague. Once the load reaches the Sajkovac base, it will be further transferred to the Karaçe elementary school and the Eqrem Cabej Grammar School of Vushtrri/Vučitrn town. Kosovoschools greatly appreaciates this very generous support of the Czech army and would like to express its most sincere thanks. Without this help, it would be extremely difficult and costly to transport the donated books from the Czech Republic to Kosovo. Two other national contingents of KFOR have already expressed their willingness to support Kosovoschools.

What's this all about?

1. Each post of this blog brings a profile of one particular school in Kosovo. It provides basic information about the school's pupils and lists things they need the most.

2. No matter if you are a teacher, a student or a parent, you can help: Pair up your (or your kids') school with a local school - adopt a school in Kosovo!

3. If your school will put together a collection of books, maps, sports equipment or any other of the needed items, all of the following logistics and distribution will be taken care of by the author of this blog in cooperation with KFOR.

4. All updates and progress achieved by the school you adopted will be posted on this blog to give you the feedback on how your particular help and care made a difference in Kosovo.

5. Thank you for your interest and welcome!

For further information or for proceeding with the adoption of a particular school, write to kosovoschools@gmail.com.

Who's behind all this?

My name is Blanka and I am a lawyer from Prague, who worked for the OSCE Mission in Kosovo during 2007/2008. Before, I worked at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. In 2007/2009, I also was a part-time student at the University of Oxford (Kellogg College). During my assignment in Kosovo, I mostly dealt with human rights and institution building, so my daily tasks didn't necessarily bring me to local schools, but I always tried to stop.

The first person to bring up the idea of getting schools in Kosovo adopted by schools abroad was Dr. Geoffrey Thomas, the President of Kellogg College, who has been greatly helpful so far in terms of advertising this project in Oxford and among the members of the University. I hope to be able to welcome Geoffrey in Kosovo one day and show him that his idea has already made significant difference to local children.

Who pays for all this?

Kosovoschools is a privately funded initiative. It is entirely based on voluntary work and effort. Our major expenses include gas (trips to Kosovo), printing (photos, cards, booklets, calendars) and communication (phone and internet costs). All transportation, packing, administration and coordination are taken care of absolutely for free. Huge thanks to our supporters! Even carrying one single box down the stairs counts. It's help. Due to our purely non-profit character and voluntary basis, our plans remain modest, but we have produced a number of small achievements so far. Browse this website and check it out.

Kosovo Schools thanks its supporters and volunteers:

Value for the donor schools

Adopting a school in Kosovo does not only mean value for the recipient schools. Donor schools also significantly profit from their participation: 1) by organizing book collections and shipments, the students and teachers involved get motivated to think and learn about how to efficiently support people in a disadvantaged area - later, they often come up with their own ideas and initiatives, 2) the donor schools get a follow-up photo presentation about their school, as well as about Kosovo, humanitarian activities in the Balkans and the role and potential of private initiatives in similarly disadvantaged areas, 3) the students, teachers, volunteers and supporters get surprised by what's usually described as feeling good about having helped - but there's MUCH more to it: they learn that they can make a difference. They learn that current affairs can be much more complex than the spots of 7 o'clock news. They get curious. They don't sink into the popular apathy and skepticim of that an individual is powerless. Seeing results of their effort, they are inspired to be concerned and helpful later on in their lives.

KosovoSchools design T-shirts against rape in Congo

War over wealth of minerals and other resources in DR Congo had thrown the local population of women into inimaginable suffering: more than 200,000 women became victims of brutal rape committed mostly by various groups of poorly paid and managed soldiers operating in the region of North and South Kivu. Czech aid worker tries to improve the horrifying conditions in which the victims of rape are forced to live. Kosovoschools developed a special T-shirt design which is aimed at raising awareness of the situation. Email us at kosovoschools@blogspot.com and we will send you the design for free.

ADOPT A SCHOOL IN KOSOVO

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Czech highschool first one to adopt elementary school in Kosovo

Czech KFOR to support Kosovoschools!

What's this all about?

Who's behind all this?

Who pays for all this?

Links we like

She did not wish to be specifically mentionned, but...

Kosovo Schools thanks its supporters and volunteers:

Value for the donor schools

Hajde, our faithful stray dog in Mitrovica parking lot.

Contact us!

Kosovoschools in action...

Starring: Suzuki Swift

Kosovoschools graduates from the University of Oxford:)

KosovoSchools design T-shirts against rape in Congo

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