Sponsor a Child

Search for a Child
Back to Top
Print Page
E-mail Article

Updated: March 2009

Kosovo

Overview | World Vision's history in Kosovo| World Vision in Kosovo today

Overview

The newly formed independent Republic of Kosovo is a landlocked country in the Balkans in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia to the north and east, Macedonia to the south, Montenegro to the northwest, and Albania to the southwest. The name Kosovo is derived from the Serbian word for “blackbird.” The Kosovo Poje, or “field of blackbirds,” lies just outside the capital city, Pristina. The Šar Mountains are located in the south and contain the country’s highest point, Mount Gjeravica at 8,700 feet. The Kopaonik Mountains are in the north. Kosovo’s location between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountain ranges to the east results in warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Most areas will see rainfall from October to December. Natural resources include nickel, lead, zinc, magnesium, chrome, coal, and bauxite.

Ethnic Albanians comprise 88 percent of the population. Serbs, who live primarily in the north, are the second largest people group at just six percent. Other groups include Bosniaks, Gorani, Roma, and Turks, as well as small communities of Ashkali and Egyptians. Albanian and Serbian are the country’s official languages, though Bosnian, Turkish, Romani, and Croatian are also spoken. A large number of people also speak English, German, and other European languages.

In the 1389 Battle of Kosovo, the Ottoman army defeated coalition forces led by Prince Lazar of Serbia. Despite losing, Lazar was seen as a hero in his home country, and the battle would come to be seen as a symbol of Serbian patriotism.





 
Country statistics 
Population2.13 million
Land mass4,211 square miles
People per square mile505
Life expectancy65 years
Under age 5 mortality rate30/1,000
Literacy rate94%
Access to safe water50%
Average annual incomeUS$1,800
Religion
Muslim90%
Christian8%
Other2%
 
 
The Ottoman Empire ruled Kosovo until 1913 when it was partitioned between Serbia and Montenegro. The region was incorporated into Yugoslavia following the First World War. From 1948 to 1989, the Albanian population in Kosovo increased by 300 percent, while the Serb population rose just 12 percent.

Slobodan Miloševic became president of Serbia in 1989 when communist Yugoslavia collapsed. Miloševic rescinded Kosovo’s status as an autonomous region, repressing Albanian Kosovars and forcing nearly 1.5 million people to flee their homes. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a militant ethnic Albanian group, emerged in 1996, calling for the full independence of the province. The KLA seized several hundred square miles of Kosovo land in 1998, prompting President Miloševic to send Serbian troops to reclaim the area. Subsequent violence against Albanian citizens by Serbian troops sparked massive riots and escalated the conflict.

Accusations of summary executions of Albanian citizens were finally proven in March 1999, giving NATO sufficient reason to launch air strikes against Serbian military targets. Despite the bombings, Miloševic ordered more civilian massacres in Kosovo. After 11 weeks, Serbia finally signed a peace agreement, ending the violence. During the two-year conflict, nearly 10,000 Kosovars were killed and 850,000 fled the country.

On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. International reaction was mixed, with the U.S., France, Britain, and 40 other countries recognizing Kosovo as the world’s newest country. Serbia and its ally Russia called the move a violation of international law. In April, parliament ratified a new constitution, which was officially adopted on June 15, 2008.

The United Nations, which acted as interim administrator of the country from 1999 until 2008, put in place economic development measures, including the privatization of publicly owned enterprises. Despite growth in the export and private investment sectors, half of the labor force is unemployed. The rate is closer to 60 percent for most women and those under 25 years of age. Kosovo has the highest birthrate in Europe, which sends an average of 30,000 adults to the job market every year—five times what businesses can absorb.

Approximately 53 percent of Kosovars live below the poverty line. Poverty is highest among the non-Serb minority—the Roma, Bosniak, Turk, and Gorani peoples. Aggravating the poverty level is the existence of organized crime in the service industry. Sixty-seven percent of people report having to pay a bribe to get a service. In non-income aspects of poverty, education outcomes are low due to insufficient funding and classroom space. Schools are forced to operate three or four shifts per day, resulting in less than a full day’s education for children.

Health conditions in Kosovo are among the worst in southeast Europe, according to a recent World Health Organization report. Infant mortality, at 3.5 percent, is higher than any neighboring country. Only one-third of the population has access to adequate sanitation—a rate that drops to just six percent in rural areas. Half of Kosovars have access to an adequate water supply, but the level drops to 10 percent outside of urban areas. Kosovo has the highest morbidity rates in Europe in terms of diseases transmitted by water.

Back to top

World Vision's history in Kosovo

Before 1999, World Vision’s involvement in Kosovo primarily consisted of the provision of emergency aid. In 1998, food, clothing, and relief supplies were distributed to those affected by the ethnic crisis. The rebuilding of damaged and destroyed homes began later that year. In March 1999, staff members were forced to evacuate due to the NATO bombings. At that time, World Vision established relief operations in Yugoslavia and Albania to assist the large number of ethnic Albanians fleeing their homes. In June 1999, work resumed in Kosovo. Relief efforts included the provision of:
  • Tools, supplies, and stoves to protect 2,000 families from cold winter temperatures;
  • Shelter kits for 3,000 families to prepare one weather-protected room per household.
  • Food for 32,000 people and health care for 162,000 returning refugees;
  • Training of 1,400 people to provide trauma counseling;
  • Improved crop production and equipment repairing techniques for 12,600 households.
In the 21st century, World Vision has continued refugee relief efforts throughout Kosovo. Other activities have included food production, health care, small business development, vocational skills training, peacebuilding, and building reconstruction.

The Kids for Peace Project established youth programs in Kosovar schools and promoted a peacebuilding movement in the community through youth activities. The Wheelchair Workshop Project provided for low-cost, custom-made wheelchairs that were suited to each individual user’s type of disability. Project staff also emphasized the social inclusion of people with disabilities and lobbied the government for opportunities to subsidize costs of wheelchairs.

Back to top

World Vision in Kosovo today

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Kosovo to enhance their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their communities, families, and children. Though there is no child sponsorship program, World Vision does operate five development projects, one of which is supported by U.S. donors.
  • The Enhancing Peace Through Economic Development Project aims to combine peacebuilding efforts and microenterprise development to achieve and maintain peace between Serbs and Albanians and improve their economic situation. Local leaders from the southwest Kosovar communities of Rahovec and Orahovac—together with World Vision project staff—will establish a Kosinvest branch to provide economically active, poor entrepreneurs with loans. Kosinvest is World Vision’s microfinance institution dedicated to helping the rural poor of Kosovo with their economic needs. Community meetings also will be held to identify issues that unite and divide people of different ethnic groups. This project will benefit approximately 5,000 entrepreneurs and community members.
For more information on World Vision’s programs in Kosovo, please contact the United States office.

Back to top
Print Page
E-mail Article
Back to Top

Newsletter Sign-Up

World Vision
Phone: 1-888-511-6548
P.O. Box 9716
Federal,WA 98063-9716
© 2009 World Vision Inc.