Kosovo
Levels of inequality, discrimination and displacement in Kosovo are rising. Many children are malnourished, don’t go to school and can’t get treatment when they’re ill. What's more, thousands are not being looked after by their parents, placing them at risk of mistreatment and exploitation, including trafficking.
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We’ve helped disadvantaged children go to school
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We’ve enabled children of all backgrounds to get a good education
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We’re reaching vulnerable children by providing protection services
- We’re improving children's care and supporting foster families
Save the Children in Kosovo
We started our work in South East Europe following the First World War, providing food to people who were hungry. Over the last 15 years we've focused on making sure that all children get a good quality education, whatever their background, and on keeping children safe from abuse and trafficking.
We’re enabling children of all backgrounds to get a good-quality education
Discrimination, a shortage of teachers and outdated curricula mean many children in Kosovo miss out on a good education. We’re combating this by putting children’s needs at the heart of school management and introducing new teaching methods.
Our Index for Inclusion has been implemented in four kindergartens in Kosovo, while dozens more teachers have also received training on how to use this tool. We’ve also set up national coalitions for inclusive education to promote information sharing and cooperation.
We’re enabling more children go to school
More than 90% of children in Kosovo attend primary school, but rates of enrolment vary greatly between ethnic groups. We've helped thousands of children enroll in primary school for the first time, including those from Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian and Bosniak communities.
Our community rehabilitation centres have enabled children with disabilities to gain access to non-formal education. We're also working with schools, communities and local NGOs to tackle the reasons behind the varying rates of enrolment and to give more children the opportunity to go to school.
We’re improving children’s care
Children with disabilities, from ethnic minorities, and whose parents are not around often end up being looked after in children's homes. We’re working to improve the quality of care these children receive and to promote family-based care as an alternative.
We’re supporting foster families through government structures and NGOs and last year our programme of support to foster carers and social workers benefited 2,361 children. We're also implementing two three-year projects funded by the EC to develop child protection standards and services to support families.
To learn more about our work in South East Europe, download the South East Europe regional brief (PDF 92KB).
