Emergency aid for refugees in Albania, support for Kosovan repatriates, reconstruction of schools

Emergency aid for refugees in Albania, support for Kosovan ... Image 1

Emergency aid for refugees in Albania, support for Kosovan repatriates, reconstruction of schools

Gjakova Project, Kosovo

Project in numbers

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Project Summary

In 1999, after the war, Kosovo received the status of an autonomous territory with the signing of the UN Resolution 1244. Nevertheless, this impoverished nation was heavily affected and damaged by the war, causing an exodus of refugees. This territory was completely dependent on external help provided through the administration and supervision of the UN.

In April 1999, AMURT launched a branch office in Tirana Albania, and started distributing food, pharmaceuticals, hygiene products and clothing to thousands of refugees from Kosovo.

In cooperation with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), AMURT acquired shelter for Albanian families. Furthermore, AMURT supported the “child-friendly spaces,” a programme initiated by UNICEF that ensured children, a secure space where they could play and learn in safety.

At the end of the war, an AMURT team escorted the returning refugees to Kosovo. Removal of land mines, implemented by Handicap International, was also part of AMURT’s programme. The education authority of the Gjakova prefecture entrusted AMURT with compiling expert reports concerning 49 school buildings. Many schools had been partly or completely destroyed. AMURT supported the reconstruction of the following four schools in collaboration with the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC):
“GanimeteTerbeshi“ school in Ponosec, „Jusuf Gervalla“ school in Koznik, “H. Stermilli“ school in Reti e Ulet, “Ramiz Sadiku“ grammar school in Rahovec.