LOCAL NGOs

New publications

NGO Coalition “Democracy in Action” Publishes Election Reports

NGO coalition “Democracy in Action: Elections 2007” presented two publications prepared by Kosovo Institute for Policy Research and Development at a conference held on March 3 in Grand Hotel, Prishtina.
Publication of “Analysis of Elections: Trends and Lessons Learned” and “Media Monitoring Report during the Elections Campaign” summarized a six-month project on monitoring of elections in Kosovo by “Democracy in Action.”        

“The majority of media reports monitored during the elections campaign strived to respect the journalistic code of ethics. This does not mean that they were balanced in terms of the exposure they dedicated to political parties and officials”, the Media Monitoring Report says.

The coalition of eleven NGOs, which monitored general and local elections held on November 17, played the leading civil society role on public awareness about the importance and necessity of a high citizens’ participation on elections.  

Two-thousand four hundred coalition activists monitored election process, election campaign, media coverage of political parties’ campaign, conducted parallel counting of votes and published early results. 
The initiative was supported by ATRC and IREX Kosovo Civil Society Program.

For more information, visit www.democracy2007.net

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Education oppurtunities

NGO “Elena Peshkopia” Convinces Gjilan Municipality to Grant Scholarships

The majority of citizens of Gjilan Municipality are young people who need to move to Kosovo’s capital or any regional/foreign country in order to continue their university studies. But the economical status forces many of them to stop studding and as such persistence of their career. Elena Peshkopia, a local NGO, believes that granting scholarships to a certain number of students by the local government would be a solution to this issue in Gjilan. Therefore, members of “Elena Peshkopia” for four months were actively involved in advocacy efforts to make such a solution possible.  

Initially, they held several meetings with Municipal authorities in an attempt to make them aware of the importance of taking decisions in favor of granting scholarships for students of Gjilan. In November and December 2007, Elena Peshkopia organized two public debates participated by representatives of education institutions, students’ organizations, Youth Network of Gjilan and media. The debates aimed to increase pressure on local decision-makers to approve the students’ demand.

In order to promote this demand, two radio debates were coordinated by this NGO broadcasted on Radio Energy, participated by municipal officials, students and other interested groups. Radio debates provided an opportunity for the public to be involved and make their concerns heard on this subject through phone calls.        

“During the project implementation, Elena Peshkopia conducted a petition which was sighed by 500 students calling for a decision that would regulate granting scholarships on annual basis”, Vjollca Jakupi, project manager, explained. Afterwards the petition was sent to Municipal Assembly of Gjilan.                     

Achieved results  
Grass roots advocacy of Elena Peshkopia has effected change within its community and municipality.

Municipal Assembly of Gjilan approved a regulation on February 18, 2008 which defines granting of 50 scholarships for successful students every year. This institution has already announces a call for application for this year scholarships.    

For more information, contact vjollcajakupi@hotmail.com
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Municipality of Prishtina Debates Its Draft-Statute with NGOs

Representatives of non-governmental organizations had the opportunity to comment and discuss the draft-statute of the Municipality of Prishtina at a public meeting organized by ATRC on March 6 attended by the Mayor of Prishtina Isa Mustafa and members of the statute-drafting commission.   

On February 21, Municipal Assembly of Prishtina approved the draft-statute to precede with a public discussion phase from February 28 to March 7 aiming to inform and get feedback from citizens, governmental bodies and civil society sector.  
Mayor Mustafa’s presentation for NGOs outlined the content and the drafting process of this legal document. 

Participants raised their concerns on several issues regulated by this document such as the number of discussions with citizens and public hearings with target groups prior to approval of draft-regulations, date of the day of Prishtina, Municipality’s policy towards public petitions and their review process, mandate of counselors of Municipal Assembly, etc. 

Draft-statute of Prishtina Municipality can be downloaded at www.prishtina-komuna.org
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NGO: “Live Life” – is based in Prizren and was a KCSP grantee on the round II of Grassroots Advocacy Grants. The implemented project “Access for disabled people in Prizren’s Schools”, aimed at promoting equal access to education for people with limited abilities in Prizren municipality, through numerous activities such as: direct meetings with citizens and policymakers, different TV debates with the representatives of the Municipality of Prizren, press conferences and great number of discussions with the Committee Members for persons with special needs.

As a result of the above mentioned activities, NGO “Live Life”, has initially succeeded to initiate a discussion in the plenary session of Prizren City Hall, on the needs for building ramps for disabled persons in the primary and secondary schools in Prizren, and later achieved at pushing for approval of this proposal by the assembly and the mayor of the Municipality of Prizren, Mr. Eqrem Kryeziu.

NGO “Live Life” has achieved to convince and oblige the Prizren Municipality to build ramps for disabled persons in the existing 89 schools in Prizren and to make this obligatory in the future construction of schools. This decision has largely contributed to the integration of people with limited abilities into the society as well as offering them equal access to education.
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NGO: “Agro Eco” – is based in Gjilan and was a KCSP grantee on the round II of Grassroots Advocacy Grants. Agro – Eko, implemented a project which aimed at citizens education in environment protection, with special focus on 3000 citizens living along Mirusha River who were affected by the contaminated drinking water and air pollution. The water of Mirusha River was severely contaminated from the leakages of the sewage system which became a source of contagious diseases.

However, Agro-Eco through the implementation of their project has achieved at influencing the municipal structures to seriously consider the problem of Mirusha River. The later, after many advocacy efforts from the side of Agro-Eco, signed a memorandum of agreement with the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning to contribute with supply of material means to improve the condition of the river Mirusha, thus reversing what could possibly be a large epidemy with fatal consequences.
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NGO: “Romani Baxt”- is based in Prizren and was a KCSP grantee on the round II of Grassroots Advocacy Grants. The project implemented by Romani Baxt: “Increasing Active Participation of the Roma Community in Decision-Making” aimed at mobilizing inhabitants of two very poor Roma neighborhoods in Prizren and Gjakova, to advocate for better living conditions.

These pictures clearly show the road before and after the works conducted by the Municipality of Prizren, which arrived as a result of the engagement and advocacy efforts of NGO Romani Baxt.
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The New Millennium- is an NGO based in Prishtina. Their project “Citizens decision making” was one of the projects from the VII round of Partnership and Networking Grants. The project was focused in changing the point of Municipal Statute about the restrictions on petitions. According to the point 27 of Municipal Statute of Prishtina, a petition to be valid, it needs to have 10,000 citizens’ signatures that are eligible to vote. This was impossible to accomplish and as consequence until now there were no petitions taken into consideration by the Municipal Assembly of Prishtina. That means that in two last mandates of assembly, no citizen or group of citizens couldn’t be so called decision maker.

However, the New Millennium through their project which consisted of different activities: round tables, meetings with decision makers, achieved the very goal of the project changing the point of Municipal Statute:

1. Categorization of petitions into two different levels: municipal level, and that of villages or neighborhood level.
2. Change the restriction on the number of signatures needed for a petition to be valid, from 5000 signatures of citizens with the right to vote at municipal level was changed to 3000, and 500 signatures for neighborhoods/villages, or in cases where there are less inhabitants then 50 %+1 of citizen’s signatures living at that particular area.
   

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Elita - “Your municipality – influence and rights” influenced in the Vitia Municipal Assembly:
1, “creation an amendment of a decision on electing the village councils” .  The Vitia Municipality based on Elita’s recommendation decided to create an amendment in the existing Municipal Regulations which concretized the election process of representatives of village Councils, which amendment after reviewing approved from Municipal Advisers. This amendment regulated election process for representative of Village Councils, their duties and the relations between them and Vitia Municipality
2. “Establish non-obligatory Committee for Vitia Village Councils”. The Vitia Municipality based on NGO Elita recommendations through Municipal decision established Non – Obligatory Municipal Committee which will be focused on improving relegations between Vitia Municipality and Village Council’s.  In this non-obligatory committee will be participated the representatives of local institutions, representative from Village Councils and civil society which together will be created a liaison mechanism that will help in making village councils functional and for addressing problems of the village councils to the Vitia municipal institutions. 
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Handicap Kosova – “Initiating and implementing of draft laws for people with disabilities”, through implemented activities impacted:

2. After organizing the municipal seminar in Prishtina, in which seminar participated and Director of Departments of Health and Social Welfare in Prishtina Municipality Mr. Musli Mehaj, he declared that starting on 01.01.2008 will employ one sign language interpreter in Medical Center for Family care that will make possible to the deaf persons to use their language in this Medical Institution. Starting from 01.01.2008 the Director promises realized in the practice. Municipal Departments employed the young women as a sign language interpreter, which will work in the Medical Center for Family care in order to help people with limited abilities, especially deaf persons to communicate with medics. 

3. On 03.08.2007 in Kamenica Municipality was implemented a one day workshop on topic: ”Initiating and implementing draft laws for people with disabilities” with participation of 24 people with limited abilities, local official, representative of local NGO-s, media etc.  One of the recommendations which discussed in the seminar was: Emplacing signs to mark parking places for people with limited abilities in Kamenica Municipalities. After one week the Municipal Assembly of Kamenica take into considerations this recommendations and start to implement in practice the  special space for  parking places for people with limited abilities in Kamenica that will be in use only for people with disabilities.

4. On 05.07.2007 in Podujeva municipality was implemented first a one day workshop with topic ”Initiating and implementing of draft laws for the people with disabilities”, with participations: representative from Podujeva Municipality, representative fro Department of Social Welfare, local NGO,s, people with limited abilities, media etc. After seminar, based on recomandations which discussed the Department of Health and Social Welfare in Podujeva Municipality started to build ramp in building of Podujeve Municipality which will create possibilities for people with limited abilities to have access in the building of the Podujeva Muncipality.
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Institute for Research and development – IRD, “Bringing citizens closer to their municipalities” On February 2, 2008,  IRD  based on recommendations received from Plemetini village (village with Serb community), together with representative of working groups from this village, submitted a petition to Municipality of Obiliq with a request to fix the land line phones for inhabitants of Plemetina village. Obiliqi municipality after the request took concrete steps to regulate this issue with Poste Telekom of Kosova- PTK. After intervention the land line phones for citizens of village Plemetina established and are functioning. The inhabitant of the village Plemetina, Mr. Sllobodan Vasic a representative of Pelemtina village says” we have try several time with municipality of Obiliq to help us, we have sent requests, it didn’t work. This time, with a support of IRD we have designed a petition and we are happy that one of our requests have been taken into consideration. We have phone lines that are working now.
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INPO – “Fair and Transparent Procurement Unit in Ferizaj Municipality” After the implemented activities which focused on creations of a Fair and Transparent Procurement Unit in Ferizaj Municipality, especially after many meetings with new Mayer of Ferizaji Municipality, which express its dedication to incorporate procurement information and materials on public contracts to existing web site of the municipality, a policy paper (report) on the Procurement Unit in Ferizaj municipality was published and has be posted in the Municipal web-site.
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PROMO - “Insurance of Responsible Governance through Citizen Participation in Rahoveci Municipality ”.
1. Implemented activities in general, especially meetings with farmers in Rahoveci Municipality and with permanent support by other NGO’s in Rahovec, ProMO has lobbied to new elected officials for recreation of new Muncipal Department called “Department of Agriculture and Rural Development”.
After many non formal discussions with other agriculture NGO’s in Rahovec and local officials of PDK (winer party of local elections), ProMO got a strong support to advocate for recreation of Agriculture Department in Rahovec, because according to New Regulation of Municipalities, this Department was due to expire.
On, January 09.2008, Promo organized one meeting between representatives of six local NGO-s and Mayor of Rahoveci Municipality, in order to discus on recreations of Department of Agriculture. In this meeting decided in favor of ProMO’s request for recreation of Agriculture Department. Both parts agreed that this Department is necessary for Rahoveci farmers and for Rahoveci Municipality. This event spread to farmers a big hope for better conditions in the future.
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SHIP - “Municipal strategy for agriculture development in Decani Muncipality”  
On February 07.2008 through the application system/procedure SHIP submitted the document strategy to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development for reviewing. The Department has reviewed it and required some supplements, which are done, and the document presented to Board of Directors in Decani Muncipality for review. The Board of Directors push this document to the Muncipal Assembly which will be discussed on this topics on the plenary sessions during June 2008.
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Women Association “Elena Peshkopia” – “Student scholarship”

Women Association “Elena Peshkopia through implemented activities influenced to the Municipal Assembly of Gjilan to make decisions in allocating funds for student scholarships. In the session organized by Municipality Assemble on February 18, 2007, within agenda was discussed about issues regarding student’s scholarships. After the discussions Assemble approved the regulation which seas that for every year calendar Municipality will distribute 50 scholarships for successful students. By the regulation, the Assemble will set the criteria and process of selection of the beneficiaries. ......................................................................................................................

Youth Association for Human Rights YAHR - “Provision on traffic safety measures for inhabitants of “Robert Gajdiku in Lipjani Municipality”
The problem of the high risk in the movements of the inhabitants of Robert Gajdiku neighbourhood from their homes to the center of Lipjan was not actualized before starting the project implementation. The implemented activities results with increasing awareness amongst people, municipal structures and political party structures to solve this problem. The new Mayor of Lipjani Municipality Mr. Shukri Buja, promised that within the framework of allocating means for the reparation of the roads in the town of Lipjan, a sum will be allocated for the construction of the pavement in Robert Gajdiku neighbourhood.
NGO: YAHR achieved to get a promise from the Head of Lipjani Municipality that this issue will be solved within the 2008/2009 period.