© Diakonie Kosova
Our member Diakonie Kosova (Diaconia Kosovo) is continuing to provide support and assistance to families and individuals through its ‘Safe Return with Dignity’ programme, faciliated throught the Diakonie Training Centre in Mitrovica. The Diakonie Training Center (DTC) is a training and crafts center of Diakonie in Mitrovica, Kosovo. The center was created immediately after the war in 2000 with donations from Kindernothilife in Duisburg, Germany and is now run and managed by Diakonie Kosovo.
Through the training centre, our member in Kosovo is continuing work on its project ‘Safe return with dignity’, provided by the Office for Returnees at Diakonie Kosova. Since 2015, the project has been supporting people who have returned from living in Germany by providing practical as well as emotional support including pick up from Prishtina airport, counselling and support services, and professional training. With regard to the latter, returnees are able to participate in the Diakonie Training Centre or Diakonie Youth Centre to receive courses in varied subjects, from construction to language, from tailoring to electricity installation.
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The project helped to recently support a resident of Mitrovica return from Germany and start her own enterprise in Mitrovica, a salon called ‘Tina and Besa’. In addition, the DTC has also provided support to families of Ashkali origin, an Albanian-speaking ethnic cultural minority that mainly inhabits Kosovo, by delivering sewing machines for Ashkali, and other minority women and families. So far, four sewing machines have been provided, and recipients have been able to receive training in tailoring and sewing at the center.
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This are just a couple of examples of how Diakonie Kosova are supporting individuals and their families to take part in courses to gain knowledge and skills, and giving them confidence to start their own initiatives and enterprise ideas. You can hear more about the ‘Safe Return Project’ and the individual stories on Diakonie Kosova’s website.