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Author: WeBalkans

Girls design their own future in ICT

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Stories.

Growing opportunities for youth in a growing sector: EU supported training programme helps launch Kosovan tech careers. In Kosovo, high unemployment is a persistent challenge, but it is a reality that especially affects young people: almost half of young adults under 24 years old are out of work and many seek opportunities abroad. However, one 20-year-old graphic designer refused to surrender to this grim reality and got busy at her first opportunity. “I was working in a random job when I got a call from an ICT start-up company to get involved in a short-term project. When that project was successfully completed within the deadline, it paved the way for my full-time engagement where I continue to work happily to this day,” says Arbra Shala, a fulfilled employee at AmamStudio in Pristina.

 “I am enjoying my creative habitat that enables me to illustrate the world as I see it.”

Market-oriented professional mentoring in schools

The process of learning new skills has accelerated in the past two years for Arbra as she combines attending university classes in graphic design with working for clients at the studio. Her determination did not go unnoticed while she was attending a training programme, where her current employer was a mentor. Alongside other high school students, Arbra was part of a one-month tailor-made training on Information Communications Technology (ICT) skills, that included graphic design, motion design, social media and multi-media. The school she was enrolled in was one of two vocational education and training high schools selected to benefit from an EU-funded programme implemented by Innovation Centre Kosovo (ICK). Upon successful completion of the training, students were sent out to gain first-hand work experience through internship placements, from which many of them were employed within established companies. “Here, I am enjoying my creative habitat that enables me to illustrate the world as I see it. In every design, or illustration, there are elements of exaggeration that define me,” Arbra says of her work.  

Getting more women involved

In a traditionally male-dominated sector, increasing the numbers of women in ICT is important – not only is workforce diversity good for business, but the sector offers many opportunities. ICT is one most promising sectors for economic growth in Kosovo. Training programmes offered by ICK are very valuable and much in demand, with impressive results so far. Sixty-one girls out of a total of 205 students and 30 teachers from two vocational education and training high schools in Prishtina and Prizren took part in the training programme. It enabled 51 young adults then to find a job in ICT – a sector that is emerging as a beacon of hope for younger generations to unlock their potential at home and contribute to a brighter future for the country. In addition to skills development, the project contributed to enhancing the entrepreneurship ecosystem, supporting 70 start-ups and companies with tailor-made consultancy services and incubation services at the centre.

“I truly believe that graphic design can be my professional occupation.”

About the project The ‘Training and Education with Marketable ICT skills for Employment and Self-employment in Kosovo’ project, run by the Innovation Centre Kosovo, was established with EU IPA funding. The aim of the project was to create new jobs and business prosperity in Kosovo, through skills development and innovation, and support for entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing businesses.

Skills in high demand

“This programme has had a great impact since these skills are in high demand,” says Dorina Grezda from ICK. “We’ve enabled young people to acquire the skills needed and put them into practice during their internships. As such, their chances of employment and self-employment have been increased, and young people have been given an opportunity to consider ICT as a career path.” An infusion of skills has proven successful in opening opportunities for youth who are in the process of defining their career path. Such is the case with Arbra, for whom the training enabled her to discover that graphic design is the thing she does best. She intends to build on current creative foundations and cement her occupation as a professional graphic designer. “I truly believe that graphic design can be my professional occupation,” she says with confidence.

New home for displaced families in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Keys to 62 newly built apartments in Srebrenik, Bosnia and Herzegovina were handed over to 164 displaced persons, former residents of the collective centres. The construction of the multi-apartment building is part of the larger EU supported project “Housing and Social Integration of Vulnerable Persons Living in Collective Centres”, implemented by the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  
The total value of the project is €107.6 million, with financing secured by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) through a €60 million loan, complemented by €1.8 million in grants provided by the European Union and Western Balkans Investment Framework Bilateral Donors.  
Under the project, the collective centres are being closed, and suitable alternative accommodation provided for 7,200 people. This involves the construction and renovation of 82 buildings in 45 municipalities and cities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.  
So far, 540 housing units have been completed, and 423 beneficiary families moved into social housing units in 17 sub-projects, following the closure of eight collective centres and alternative accommodation locations. These housing solutions are provided to beneficiaries based on social, not-for-profit rental housing model or within institutional accommodation (welfare) centres.

EU helps an Albanian organic food store to improve sustainability

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Migena Malo runs MIA, an organic grocery store in Tirana’s city centre whose crates of fresh fruits and vegetables put nature’s bounty on display for locals and tourists alike. Although organic, sustainable agriculture is on the rise in Albania, the sector remains largely unconquered. Migena, however, is about to change that.  
To ensure she could continue to follow the appropriate rules and regulations governing organic production, Migena turned to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for assistance. An advisory project, financed jointly with the European Union’s Western Balkans Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility (WB EDIF), helped MIA prepare for and acquire the GLOBALG.A.P. (Global Good Agricultural Practices) certificate, a widely recognised standard in advanced food safety and sustainability. The benchmark will support marketing efforts and help the store attract more clients. “We feel a real sense of duty and responsibility towards our clients,” says Migena. “As a team, we now understand what it means to produce organically and what sustainability standards we have to fulfil to deliver on that promise.”  
Although Migena is currently focusing on strengthening the brand and solidifying her client base, she is also working on a five-year plan that envisages opening more shops across Albania, supporting the livelihood of local farmers dedicated to sustainability.

RescEU: EU supports Serbia with masks and protective gloves

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Over a million protective masks and 700,000 protective gloves have been donated to Serbia through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which operates a special facility for managing emergencies, ‘RescEU’. The delivery was worth €857,000.

 

Serbia is the biggest beneficiary of RescEU in Europe during the COVID 19 crisis, having received personal protective equipment worth more than €6.8 million. EU assistance to Serbia during COVID-19 has taken many forms: funding recruitment of Serbian medical staff, transporting hundreds of tons of medical supplies, donating millions of personal protective items, bringing back Serbian stranded citizens from every corner of the world, purchasing ambulances and decontamination vehicles.

 

Background

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism facilitates cooperation in emergency response, preparation and prevention between Member States, as well as several other European countries. Serbia became a member of the Mechanism in 2015, but had already benefitted before that, during the devastating floods in May 2014. That operation was one of the largest since the Mechanism was established.

On the path of Roman emperors

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An EU-funded project is bringing the Western Balkans’ Roman heritage into the spotlight for visitors Did you know that between the second and fourth century, the political centre of the Roman Empire was not in Rome, but in Illyricum? This was the name for the lands which extended from the western boundary of modern Greece to the Alps in the west and from the Danube river in the north to Adriatic Sea, including what we now call the Western Balkans. Not all of the Western Balkans’ rich Roman heritage is known to visitors but an EU-funded project is now offering a digital platform to showcase sites in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia and to attract tourists to the region.

“If you visit Dioclea, near Podgorica, for example, you may also need accommodation and food, and you may want to visit other places nearby. We have therefore included restaurant, hotels and natural attractions in the package.” 

Ancient Rome in virtual reality

Regional NGO, the Danube Competence Centre (DCC), successfully launched the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route, and was approached by the EU-funded cooperation network, the Regional Cooperation Council, to develop a similar route in the Western Balkans. The purpose was to create a route in a less well-known part of the Balkan peninsula for travellers who want to experience something new. According to DCC, recent surveys show that up to 40% of all tourism-related travel are in the category of cultural tourism. However, the Western Balkans and the Illyricum branch of the Route are still relatively unknown among European tour operators and tourists. Danko Cosic is the coordinator of this project. He explains that nine archaeological sites have been selected to be included in the Illyricum Route. They include the ancient city of Stobi in North Macedonia, Apollonia and Butrint in Albania, and Dioclea in Montenegro. The project has created a package of virtual tours to take in all the featured locations. The main element of the presentation package for each archaeological site is a virtual tour, including audio interpretation. But, as Danko explains: “If you visit Dioclea, near Podgorica, for example, you may also need accommodation and food, and if you stay longer you may want to visit other places nearby. We have therefore included restaurant, hotels and natural attractions in the package.”

“With this project we want to bring the Western Balkans’ Roman heritage, in its full glory, to people’s computer screens, and hopefully tempt them to visit.”

About the project The Tourism Development and Promotion Project, funded by the EU and implemented by the Regional Cooperation Council, is worth €5 million. It works to develop and internationally promote joint regional cultural and adventure tourism offers, increasing the number of tourists visiting the six Western Balkans (WB6) economies, extending tourist stays in the region. Its second round of grants – worth up to €54,000 each – was awarded in October 2019. The Danube Competence Centre (DCC) is among 16 grant recipients from the second round.   Along with the presentation packages for each site, the route will be available on the https://romanemperorsroute.orgwebsite for visitors who want to explore the region. The Illyricum Trail will be transformed into a functional platform for promotion and collaboration between key heritage sites and stakeholders such as tourism organisations and businesses. According to Danko, travel intermediaries, agents and tour operators are old-school. The contemporary traveller selects places to visit and books the hotel and flights online. Locations and countries that want to become or remain competitive in the market therefore have to have advanced promotion packages online. “This is exactly what we are trying to do through this project. Bringing the Western Balkans’ Roman heritage, in its full glory, to people’s computer screens, and hopefully tempting them to visit these locations and spend some time here,” says Danko.

The Power of a Hashtag – Online Youth Activism Event

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The WeBalkans.eu initiative, together with the Young European Ambassadors, will organise a unique online get-together under the title “The Power of a Hashtag” from 27 to 29 April.   Discussions will explore one of the most relevant topics today. How to keep the spirit of activism alive and make positive change happen, despite the circumstances around us?   The audience will be able to discuss with five young leaders who have contributed to social change movements across the globe in areas such as human rights, the environment, digital technologies, journalism, international relations, and gender equality:  
  • Moha Gerehou – anti-racism activist and a Young European leader (Spain)
  • Hera Hussain – world-famous gender tech activist and a founder of CHAYM (Scotland and Pakistan)
  • Meeri Koutaniemi – human rights activist and photographer (Finland)
  • Francesca Cavallo – one of the most inspiring female voices in art and literature today and the creator of Good Night stories for Rebel Girls (Italy)
  • Boštjan Videmšek – journalist, author and a European Climate Pact Ambassador (Slovenia)
  Each session will be moderated by the Young European Ambassadors from the Western Balkans, while one specific panel will be devoted to the topic of ‘How youth can become a voice of change’ which will feature YEAs and their friends. The live talks will be open for questions and comments via WeBalkans Facebook and Instagram Live and European Commission (DG Neighbourhood and Enlargement) Facebook Live.

Balkan Trafik festival celebrates its 15th anniversary online

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The multi-arts festival Balkan Trafik celebrates its 15th anniversary. This year, the festival presents an entirely digital program to be discovered from 22 to 25 April 2021. True to its reputation, Balkan Trafik! will highlight the diversity of the Balkan culture through a wide range of artistic disciplines, this time on a smartphone and tablet application, offering live streaming concerts and free and exclusive content such as a documentary series. This year the festival will also include international debates with European decision-makers and civil society.

 

One of the debates will involve the Young European Ambassadors (YEA), a creative network of future young game changers from across the Western Balkans.  Youth activism lies in the heart of YEA. Inspiring others and spreading the message of activism are the core values of YEAs. This is why their panel of discussion will be dedicated to activism in the online world, the only world we have had in the times of the global pandemic.

 

Music will be an integral part of the festival with live streaming concerts and behind-the-scenes forays and interviews, and Q / A with the artists. The artists that have already confirmed their participation in the festival include Shantel & Bucovina Club Orkestar, Zdob și Zdub, Dubioza Kolektiv, Naked, Gipsy Groove, Stereo Banana, Mec Yek & Bernard Orchestar.

 

The festival is also at the initiative of two unique jazz & rock creations that will bring together the best Belgian and Balkan artists and aim to decompartmentalise the Balkans with international artists such as Ibrahim Maalouf & Amparo Sánchez.

EU supports medical institutions in Serbia

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Administration of coronavirus vaccines has been taking place in Serbia for some time, and to be carried out successfully, equipment is needed. The way vaccines are stored is of particular importance, which creates the need for special types of refrigerators. The European Union (EU), with the help from the Office of the United Nations for project services (UNOPS), responded to the request and secured 32 freezers and 33 refrigerators for 26 medical institutions.

 

The value of this donation is nearly € 490,000.  “We donated millions of items of personal protective equipment (facemasks, suits, gloves), 140 triage containers, respirators, oxygen concentrators, 32 fully equipped ambulance cars and special vehicles for decontamination, and finally, the hiring of 200 Serbian healthcare workers in July, were all made possible thanks to the EU. I signed another grant package for the health sector worth. €2.6 million  on 30 December, so that Serbia can have a reliable ’cold chain’ for vaccine administration “, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi recently told Blic daily in an interview.

Wolves and bears on buses in Serbia promote EU programme “Natura 2000”

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Since 6 April, public transportation in Belgrade and two other large cities in Serbia – Novi Sad and Niš – has a new look.  “Healthy nature for a healthy life” is the slogan of a new campaign in Serbia promoting the EU programme “Natura 2000”. Buses, trams and trolleys display winning photos from the recently organised “Natura 2000 in the frame” photo exhibition to showcase the beauties of biodiversity in Serbia.

 

Additionally, by correctly answering the questions on the posters inside the vehicles and by taking photos of these wildlife beauties circulating urban areas, citizens will be able to win prizes during May.

 

Buses are already attracting the attention of the media and many residents of these cities. The campaign is organised by the project “EU for Natura 2000 in Serbia”.

 

You can see how Belgrade streets look at the moment on the social media accounts of the EU Delegation to Serbia.

A lifeline for young Roma in time of Coronavirus

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A toy library in Bosnia and Herzegovina offers vulnerable children the chance to play and learn even in the middle of a pandemic.
Five-year-old Denis* sees himself as a doctor and wants to become one when he grows up. Every day, Denis draws people in medical outfits and plays at healing other children whom he refers to as his patients.  All of this creativity would go unnoticed if it wasn’t for the innovative toy library created at the Romalen Roma support centre in Denis’ town of Kakanj in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. The library’s high-quality educational toys and story books have made it a success in the community, with up to 84 children attending the library, most of them from the Roma community.
The Roma are one of Europe’s largest and most disadvantaged minority groups. Discrimination against Roma communities is commonplace, fuelling their exclusion. The problems facing Roma children can start early in life and have a life-long impact. Few participate in early childhood education and only 50% complete compulsory education. This is why supporting early childhood development is vitally important to try to break the cycle.

“The toy library is where the magic of education happens. Children play and create their own universe, and, at the same time, they discover the world.”

The EU-supported initiative is run by the Roma Education Fund (REF).  Since 2017, REF has established 64 toy libraries in 13 countries across Central and Eastern Europe, including the Western Balkans where thousands of children have been involved. “We are committed to creating such spaces for Roma children, dedicated to their learning and play,” says Ioan Tănase, REF’s Project Manager. “The toy library is where the magic of education happens. Children play and create their own universe and, at the same time, they discover the world. It’s playing and education at the same time – it’s magical.”  

Staying connected while maintaining distance

Like so many other activities around the world, the activities at the Kakanj toy library were halted by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The centre was closed in early spring but the concept lived on mainly thanks to two crucial factors. Firstly, the children continued to be able to borrow toys, puzzles and books. Secondly, the toy library concept had encouraged the engagement of the whole community, especially in building relationships between children, family and library staff. Parents knew that the library offered a solution to the pandemic’s sudden interruption of their children’s education.

“Toy libraries offer something for parents who are not able to afford to send their child to kindergarten.”

About the project The “EU Regional Action for Roma Education: Increased Education Opportunities for Roma Students and Youth in Western Balkans and Turkey” (RARE) project is co-funded by the IPA II Annual Multi-Country Action Programme 2017 and the Roma Education Fund, which also implements the project. “Toy libraries offer something for parents who are not able to afford to send their child to kindergarten, and that is a daily chance to spend time somewhere where the children have the opportunity to develop their skills and greatly increase the degree of inclusion,” says Tănase. The Romalen Roma support centre had to come up with quick solutions for their children. They set up an online educational programme using video communication apps where children could connect. There were no guarantees that this system would work, never mind be successful, but the results have been outstanding. Inspired by the progress made pre-pandemic, and a determination to maintain the links forged between the centre and the families and children, the number of participants remained similar to pre-COVID-19 times. As for little Denis, he adapted quickly to the new format of communication imposed by the pandemic, and in no time he became the unchallenged leader of his digital community. He is even more steadfast now in his commitment to become a physician offering medical aid to his community and everyone in need. *The child’s name has been changed to protect his identity.