Promoting the Development of Civil Society and the Mobilisation
of All Communities

Community Centre Assistant provides advice to community representatives

The main activities of the Community Centre in Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje are focused on supporting local NGOs, and building their capacity for sustainable success into the long-term. The Centre offers assistance right from the start, in the initial process of registration and then later through continued logistical support through access to the Centre’s facilities.

One of the Community Centre’s most important roles is to act as first point of contact between NGOs and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMiK) and other international interlocutors. People come into the Community Centre on a daily basis to address various concerns and to ask for advice and support. Their problems are often human rights related or property ownership issues. Mainly they come to the Community Centre because they do not have access to the right institutions that are based in Prishtinë/Priština. In such situations, the Community Centre serves as liaison between the individuals concerned and, for example, the OSCE Human Rights Department, the Norwegian Refugee Council, or some other organisation that provides legal advice and support.

Separately, the Community Centre implements individual projects, all of which have so far aimed to mobilise communities more and thereby encourage intercultural dialogue.

The largest projects the Centre implemented so far are:

• Creating an Internet Centre, funded by IOM/USAID;
• Literacy school for Ashkali children, funded by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo (OMiK);
• Training sessions for grassroots NGOs from Prishtinë/Pristina Region funded by the UNMiK Office for Gender Affairs, and supported by OMiK;
• The ‘Ugljare’ Painting School, funded by OMiK.