Thousands of kids in Kosovo learn in deplorable conditions. You can help to change this.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Greetings from the kids in Karace
Pupils from the school in Karace village say hello to all volunteers and supporters of Kosovo Schools, as it's Children's Day! - Karace school has been succesfully adopted last year by Gymnazium Jana Palacha in Prague.
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.
Kosovoschools delivers: A set of pens, pencils and markers.
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.
She did not wish to be specifically mentionned, but...
...without you, this project would never happen! Biggest THANKS, respect and a lasting aplaus to my mother for her generosity, patience, numerous donations, her hours of voluntary work for the program, and longterm free lease of the car and the computer.
Kosovo Schools' leading sponsor visiting a photo exhibit at the Vushtrri/Vučitrn Municipality, where many photos document the achievements of the project
Kosovo Schools thanks its supporters and volunteers:
kpt. Horáková
Ruairi O'Connell
Anonymous assistant from Tesco
Pelagia Bosáková
Zuzana Stiborková
Elizabeth Gemmill
Dreni Hyseni
Mr. Vodrážka
Ing. Martinec
pplk. Buček
Laco Regenda
Peter Nitsche
Mr. Černý (Open Gate)
Geoffrey Thomas
Adam Daca
Zdena Slavíková
Jaroslav Brož
Jirka Loučný
Agron Hajdari
Nijazi Zhuri
Michaela Konárková
Ondřej Brzoň
Dagmar Ferjenčíková
Ilona Navrátilová
Jaroslav Čech jr.
Alastair Livingston
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.
Hajde, our faithful stray dog in Mitrovica parking lot.
She likes dog-treats, vitamins and cookies - tell us if you wish to send some to her through one of our next shipments!
Contact us!
kosovoschools@gmail.com
Kosovoschools in action...
...Enslaving its family and friends
I love work. It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. (Jerome Klapka Jerome: Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow)
Starring: Suzuki Swift
Mom, look how much stuff can fit in that sweet little car!
Kosovoschools graduates from the University of Oxford:)
Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught. (Oscar Wilde)
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.
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