Organized for the second time in celebration of the seventh anniversary of Kosovo’s independence, the competition has brought about  25 thousand photos posted in all social networks with the hashtags #InstaKosova and #InstaKosovo.

#InstaKosova competition is a platform for supporting Kosovo’s digital diplomacy in promoting the young country to the rest of the world. The competition seeks to bring about the best of Kosovo through engaging its citizens at showing their frame of how Kosovo looks like in the morning,  the way Kosovo streets portray life and the daily macchiato breaks. All in all, the competition seeks to highlight what is the force that produces the love that so many have for the little country of Kosovo.

The #InstaKosova team explained that “the selected photos represent the purest illustration of the feelings by the people breathing in this country. They channel the views from the eyes of the youngsters that wake-up in the city center, in the sprawling suburbs, in the picturesque villages, on the magnificent mountain peaks, or at dazzling festival parties and after-parties all over this country. So yes, these are the photos that we wanted to showcase in this edition of #instakosova/#instakosovo and these are the select photos that your eyes will gaze upon in this book.”

This year’s winner is Sara Rodiqi and her photo titled “N’kamp verës në Ngom Fest, Prizren”. The jury consisted of Blerim Racaj (photographer), Nita Salihu (designer), Blerta Kambo (photographer), Arjeta Emra (director at the British Council) and Era Istrefi (singer).  The  jury commented that “the winning photo gave an aura of  sincere, pure, real, and lush with life feel- a charming snapshot of friends that seem to have all the world bubbling within them, conveying a state of limitless utopia with each other and with us as viewers. It is not a photo that is instantly noticeable, but it is one whose beauty gracefully grows and multiplies as you stare at it.”

Winners of the 10 best photos are: Jetmir Idrizi, Diellza Hasani, Armend Krasniqi, Agon Syla, Agron Beqiri, Nita Deda, Orgesa Arifi, Fisnik Dobreci, Drenusha Lika and Nëntor Oseku. The jury has also selected 100 photos which will be published in a book of photographs. Available for free throughout various state institutions around the world.

#instakosova is initiated and supported by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kosovo and is present online at  www.instakosova.com, where you can check all winners and best 100 photos.

As part of the Diaspora Registration initiative, Kosovodiaspora.org alongside DEED and the Kosovar Ministry of Diaspora are holding the third Diaspora Focus Group Discussion. The event will gather representatives of the Kosovar and Albanian embassies in the United Kingdom, as well as opening speeches by representatives of UNDP, Ministry of Diaspora and IOM. The London Diaspora Focus group is expected to have greater attendance (with already 30 confirmed participants) due to the coverage of the Kosovodiaspora platform and the Kosovar community living in London.

The discussion will be held on 25th of February at 16:00 Hrs on Gredley House, 1-11 Broadway Stratfford London. Refugee Council, Meeting Room F.

After the discussion, the Kosovodiaspora team would like to invite the participants for an informal gathering at the The Langthorne, Stratford, 12-14 The Broadway, Stratford,London.

London - On February 25, 2015 the new focus group on diaspora’s virtual registration (DVR) “From a Concept to Success” met in London at the Refugee Council office.

This event was part of the on-going series of focus groups meetings in several countries aiming to bring together Kosovo and Albanian business and civil society leaders to discuss and develop options for making the Diaspora Virtual Registration (DVR) platform a success. The DVR has been developed by Kosovo’s Ministry of Diaspora (MoD) with the aim of mapping out diaspora members living abroad, and strengthening diaspora’s ties and participation in the policy development process in Kosovo. The DRV can be found in the following link: http://rd.rks-gov.net.

Participants included distinguished representatives of the Albanian and Kosovo diaspora organizations, Ministry of Diaspora from Kosovo, Kosovo’s Embassy in London, Albanian Embassy in London, the International Organisation of Migration (IOM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the representatives of charities of the Albanian community in the UK. Vebi Kosumi, the chair of the roundtable discussion, opened up the meeting and gave a presentation on the online registration process for professionals, students, and other members of the Kosovo diaspora.

© 2015 Xhevat Morina. More pictures from the event can be found here.

“The event was an opportunity for the Ministry of Diaspora representatives to engage face-to-face with the Albanian community organisations and individuals to discuss the online Diaspora registration process. It also provided an open forum for the diaspora representatives to ask questions and have an interactive discussion with the government officials. The focus group meeting was successful as it brought together the Albanian community with the Kosovo government representatives. I received a lot of positive feedback from the participants afterwards regarding the useful topics covered. I would like to thank the KosovoDiaspora.org platform for giving me the opportunity to organise and chair the meeting, and my special thanks go to the representatives from Kosovo, the Ministry of Diaspora, IOM and UNDP as well as to all participating organisations and individuals from the UK who came to the meeting,” said Vebi Kosumi.

At the London meeting special guests included: Mentor Borovci, Lorik Pustina, Flaka Braha from Kosovo’s Ministry of Diaspora; Besian Bicurri from IOM; and Ardian Spahiu as the UNDP representative. During their speeches, Mentor Borovci and Lorik Pustina explained the process of the online registration for the Kosovo diaspora.

“I invite everyone who is a member of the diaspora to register. This registration is important so the Republic of Kosovo would know how many people live abroad, as well as identify the needs of diaspora professionals,” said Mentor Borovci, a representative of the Kosovo Government.

Mr. Pustina further pointed out that, “all ethnic groups who originate from Kosovo and are living abroad qualify to register. This registry does target as well, all Albanians living abroad, as for our Ministry, the Albanian diaspora is unified and undivided, regardless where they endeavor from – Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Presheva…”

The Embassy of Kosovo and the Embassy of Albania were present at the meeting through Mr. Mustafë Avdiu and Ms. Migena Baholli and they spoke about the help, which they provide in furthering the online registration through face-to-face meetings with members of Diaspora in the UK.

The Q&A session followed with an open discussion by representatives of the diaspora organisations and individuals such as Luljeta Nuzi of the Shpresa Programme, Esat Braçe of the Nënë Tereza Charity, Artan Llabjani from UK Albanian Proffesionals, Indira Kartallozi from Chrysalis family Future, Beqir Shillova from the British Albanian Kosovar Council and other legal, medical and educational professionals.

Key themes of the discussion related to procedures for registration, and the eventual benefits and uses that the finalization of the database will provide. Some concerns were raised regarding the privacy of personal data shared with the MoD via the DRV. Other discussion points focused on the results of the registration process to date. It emerged that the registration process uses encryption technology to protect the data shared with the MoD, which has planned and designed the system to ensure privacy protection throughout the process of data collection, clearing and analysis.

Diaspora representatives present at the focus group provided positive feedback, and committed to promoting the DRV among their circles as well as ensuring to find ways to make it a succes.

This was the first focus group meeting held in London, preceded by others in New York, United States, and Stockholm, Sweden. Two additional focus groups will take place in Vienna, Austria and Zurich, Switzerland, where large numbers of Kosovo’s diaspora reside.

The organizer of the focus group is NGO Germin in partnership with the International Organization of Migration (IOM), the United Nations Development Office (UNDP) and the Kosovo Ministry of Diaspora (MoD).

Germin is an organization that uses technology to connect and support the Albanian Diaspora communities with their home countries. Germin has founded and manages the www.kosovodiaspora.org, a crowdsourcing digital engagement platform for Diaspora.

The IOM and UNDP are implementing partners of the Diaspora Engagement in Economic Development (DEED) in Kosovo, funded by the Finish Government – www.deed-ks.org.

The CID shows that “at least one third of Albanians live outside the borders of their home countries in the Balkans. In the countries where they currently live and work many of them have achieved levels of professional and economic success that would not have been possible at home. We are driven by the image of what the impact of connecting this wealth of knowledge, connections and economic capital with the home countries would be on the Balkans.”

The objectives of CID’s Diaspora Program include:

• It ensures that the diaspora relations have proper place on the political agenda of the countries in the Balkans.
• It facilitates the relations between the home governments and the diaspora community organizations abroad.
• It supports the home governments with building capacities to engage with the diaspora and develop strategies for leveraging its potential to promote economic and social development in the Balkans.

CID’s Diaspora Program starts with reinforcing the relations with the Albanians in the USA, but has the ambition to include all countries with significant Albanian population. Their action plan has three stages:

The first stage involves a series of meetings in the USA between the diaspora on the one hand, and government officials and private sector representatives on the other. The first three meetings will take place in Washington D.C., New York City and Boston in spring of 2015. In June or September of 2015, a joint delegation of Harvard and Diaspora leaders will visit the Balkans and work on establishing the foundations of a strategy for engaging the diaspora in the country’s development. The diaspora strategy should be the main outcome of the visit. The third stage involves implementation of this strategy.

For further details on eligibility and regulations to participate in the program, you can click HERE. To fill out the survey, click HERE.

Strengthening the diaspora community through its businesses is a set priority for the Kosovar Diaspora Ministry. Recently, the Ministry of Diaspora and the Union of Diaspora Global Businesses have held fruitful meetings with the business community in Australia. With key figures such as Mr. Naim Dedushaj, the meetings have resulted with the creation of the Australian Central Branch, located in Melbourne, where the largest Albanian community is located.

Kosovo’s Ambassador Mr. Sabri Kiçmari spoke on the importance of establishing such business networks in Australia, inviting all Albanian businessmen to join. Mr. Naim Dedushaj also spoke of the importance and benefits of this network. At the end of the meeting, he emphasized the goals achieved by the already established networks of diaspora businesses throughout the 16 countries.

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If you are a Diaspora member from Australia, we invite you to support the Diaspora Registry process*. If you would like to register, please click HERE.

*The Diaspora Registry process is developed by the Ministry of Diaspora with the aim of strengthening Diaspora’s ties and participation in policy development processes in Kosovo. The Kosovodiaspora.org platform has partnered with the MoD and Diaspora Engagement for Economic Development (DEED) to promote the registry among our widespread diaspora communities across five continents.

Kosovo’s Cultural Center in Istanbul hosted  Minister of Diaspora, Valon Murati, for a meeting with the Albanian associations in Turkey. Minister Murati spoke of Kosovo’s progress and Government’s ties with its Diaspora.  Furthermore, the meeting consisted of talks over the Ministry’s programs and future involvements, learning of the Albanian language, cultural activities, providing support for investment, as well as the Diaspora registration process.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Rahim Morina, Consul General of the Republic of Kosovo in Istanbul; Agron Tare, Consul General of the Republic of Albania in Istanbul; Mentor Borovci, General Secretary of the MOD, and Qamil Bytyqi, Acting Director of Kosovo’s Cultural Centre in Istanbul.

HERE you can read the full article on this activity published in Albanian by Ministry of Diaspora.

Gjergj Haxhiu (15) is a young and extremely talented racing driver from Prishtina, who was born and raised in Switzerland. He is the Swiss champion and runner-up world for youth in Formula 4.

Despite being the youngest and competing in first season, Gjergj Haxhiu won the race at famous Circuit de Jerez, Spain.  Before F4, Gjergj successfully won KF3 Karting Championships in Switzerland. He made the jump to single-seaters, thus competing in French F4 Championship for 2014 Season.

It all started unexpectedly! During a family outing, aged only 6 years old, Gjergj asked for a ride on the go-kart track. After the first lap, he got very passionate about motorsport. Being only 7 years old, Gjergj debuted in a competition with his first kart and brought himself to podium often. His achievements on and off the track are truly inspirational and are being recognized in professional motorsports.

GJERGJ’S TIMELINE OF ACHIEVEMENTS:

• 2006 – Gjergj discovers the passion for Go Karts.
  2007 – With support from his father Shkumbin, Gjergj enters motorsports and attends few competitions ranking 2nd on Swiss Romand Championship Mini.
• During competitions on Swiss Championships, WSK Master Seriers, Gjergj managed to cruise wictories and be in podium very often.
• Local and International media started already to spot the talent of Gjergj covering a good coverage on his karting victories.
• Gjergj was flawless on Super Mini category winning the Swiss Championship and Bridgestone Cup in Switzerland.
• 2012 – Gjergj wins 2012 Swiss Championship in KF3 category, collecting 303 points and confirming the commitment to the sport.
• 2013 – Gjergj defended the title of Swiss Championship in KF3 category again in 2013.
• 2014 – Gjergj made a debut in French F4 Championship, being among the youngest to enter French F4 Championship.

Today, Gjergj is 15 years old and competes in second season at the French F4 Championship. Values of this young and promising talent are inside the family that supports him. Gjergj is really proud of his origins! He holds in his car the Albanian and Swiss flags,  while the eagle and Gjergj Kastriot symbols are drawn in his helmet.

His achievements made him a natural ambassador to Karting. Gjergj is deeply ambitious and aims to race at the highest level. Below you can watch his story covered by Top Channel:

Gjergj’s goal is to reach Formula 1!  Sponsorship is essential for him to compete and deliver results over the next years.  To learn more about his career and reach for support, you can check his official website or contact him directly via gjergjkart@bluewin.ch. 

Kosovo’s Vjollca Hajdari (originally from Mitrovica) is a political expert, publicist, and ethnologist living in Berlin since 1991.

She started her studies in Berlin and graduated as MSc. in Publicity and Communication, Political Science, and Ethnology at Free University of Berlin (FU = Freie Universität). Ms. Hajdari is an active political activist and lobbyist of the Albanian issue. In 2005, she was awarded the prize for political commitment and humanity by the Senate of Berlin and the SOS Kinderdorf.

Currently, Vjollca is a board member of two committees that cooperate with the UN. She is an official representative for South Eastern Europe and the Balkans in the Global Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Inter Press Service (IPS), as well as political analysts at EurActiv.de (informative/media portal of EU), located  near to the German government.

In the past, she worked in the Bundestag (German Parliament), in the Senate of Berlin, as well as in many important international institutes and organizations. Currently, she is part of two committees (GCC and IPS), which operate in the framework of the United Nations. She simultaneously writes as political analyst to the European Portal News – EurActiv and for other media and international press. Her analyses are published in the European Academy as well.

As an expert of communication science and political scientist, Mrs. Hajdari has expanded her cooperation with various embassies, foundations, and German institutes. She holds a membership in the League of German Journalists, and the World Network of Journalists.

As a political scientist, Vjollca aims to directly affect the political processes about Albanians and Kosovo. As a publicist, she exercises public diplomacy, by creating networks and always focusing on improving the image of Kosovo and Albanians in general. In the field of ethnology, she aims to serve as a intercultural bridge and to present the anthropologic side of Albanians internationally.

In an exclusive interview for KosovoDiaspora.org, she explains that there is an ongoing negative media presentation of Albanians abroad. “Through my political activity and publicity, I work for improving the image of Kosovo. By using positive examples of people in politics, history, and culture, I try to inform the international public for a different reality from the one that is actually presented to them.”

Vjollca is active in institutional lobbying as well. She holds meetings with many politicians, foundations, and media. She also organizes conferences and debates that have a focus on Kosovo and Albanians.

Ms. Hajdari believes that “networking and information are the most powerful tools of governments today. Through mass communication, other states engage numerous public relations agents, the so-called Spin Doctors, Think Tanks and foundations, with the aim of lobbying and promoting a positive image in the world. Albanians are still at the beginning of this scope, so I try to professionally fill this gap.”

Depending on financial support, Vjollca plans to conduct research about the Albanian migrations and invasions around the world. She is currently having a tour throughout Germany to present her documentary film about Mother Teresa. In the future, she plans to develop another documentary on the Albanian issue.

Being asked about the importance of civic engagement in Kosovo’s society, Ms. Hajdari told KosovoDiaspora.org that “political awareness, civic courage and involvement are the key elements that should motivate people to participate in political decisions of their own country. People have the power to correct the mistakes of their government and those of the international community, which has been stationed in Kosovo for many years in a row. The fight against organized crime, corruption, and nepotism, as well the defense of human rights, rights to education, and social welfare are the key factors towards building a healthy society.”

She believes that Kosovo society needs an increased focus on education, self-respect, perseverance of identity values, and common will. During our interview, she stated that “the most intellectually productive people of Albanian origin should be united to creating a more serious movement to articulate the requirements and needs that we should fulfill internationally! More and more talents from our Diaspora are arising in the field of science, arts, culture, and sports. These personalities should be promoted, especially by their home countries! We need to organize more events that promote our values, culture, and history. We should also focus on the challenges of our Diaspora and reflect on the aspects that need improvement.”

At the end of the interview, Ms. Hajdari added that “the creation of independent electronic media – free of ideological and political interests – is another strong tool which we can use to promote Kosovo.”

Ylfete Fanaj has gained re-election at the Parliament of the Canton of Lucerne. In the elections that were held today, the parliament and the executive of the canton of Lucerne, the Swiss-Albanian candidate, Mrs. Ylfete Fanaj has secured a seat in the parliament by winning the second highest number of votes by party candidates in its electoral district.

Mrs. Fanaj has been active in politics for a long time (Since 2011) as a member of the Social Democratic Party in the Parliament of the Canton of Lucerne and the first Albanian woman in Switzerland on the cantonal elected for parliament and municipal assemblies. For a while Ylfete Fanaj has also been president of the organization Second@s at Switzerland, where she actively engaged in improving the social life of Albanians in Switzerland.

Born in Prishtina, Mr. Demaj is a hardworking 29 year-old who is the co-developer and partner in several online endeavors and the co-founder of Rocket Fiber, a next generation fiber-optic internet network in Detroit.

Like the rest of people from Kosovo, in 1999 his family had to run for their lives so they fled the country. Having lost their home during the war, they were fortunate to have made it alive to the US and move to a city near Detroit. “I fell in love with the city of Detroit very early in my American life; from Detroit sports teams to the history and legacy of the city. Very early on I adopted Detroit as my new home city and began to treat it like I did Prishtina” said Mr. Demaj when interviewed for KD.

Being immigrants, his parents did everything in their power to make sure their children received the best education possible. He finished high school in a city about 40km from Detroit, called Rochester Hill. One of his first accomplishments is completing his four year degree in Political Science with an Associates degree in Business Management at Oakland University under two and a half years. Today, he is earning his Masters in Business Management with a concentration in Strategic Leadership from Walsh College.

Mr. Demaj worked throughout his high school, college and masters. Until lately, he was employed at Bedrock Real Estate Services, where he was involved in the management, leasing and development of various projects in Detroit. During his time at Bedrock, he co-founded several startups, most notably iziSurvey, a startup that provides online and offline tools to collect real time data for very low costs. He also co-founded Reozom, a residential real estate marketing platform that makes the buying and selling of homes easier, simpler and more affordable than ever before in America. Last but not least, he is a partner in the first Albanian search engine Gjirafa.com, a platform that is changing the way Albanians find and use information, as well as do business forever amongst themselves. “Gjirafa is a game changer for Albanians all over the World, by far the most innovative Albanian technology to date and something we should all be proud of” Demaj stated. All of the startups he is involved with are in partnership with his younger brother Etriti and long-time friend Mërgim Cahani who is also Founder and CEO of Gjirafa.com.

These online endeavors are a great example of companies with American headquarters; Albanian and American co-founders and partners that are training and employing Albanians in Kosovo. “Identifying what Kosovo is missing and finding a way to fill that void is how I try to contribute to Kosovo. As someone who has invested in Kosove and continues to do so, I am hopeful that the younger generation of Kosova will be regional leaders in innovation. We have our independence and control our own destiny, it is up to us create a business-friendly environment that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship” said Mr.Demaj.

Last June, together with Marc Hudson and Randy Foster, Mr. Demaj co-founded Rocket Fiber, a next generation fiber-optic internet network. “I co-founded the company with two other very ambitious and extremely smart entrepreneurs with the goal of putting a city all three of us love, in a group of cities in America and the World that have an infrastructure of ours available” he said. Rocket Fiber is building an infrastructure and will offer services that very few cities in the world have available. “Similar to Google Fiber, we are offering internet speeds that are 100 times faster than current average residential speeds in America. In addition to residences, we are taking it a step further than even Google by offering one or more Gigabits to small, medium and large commercial businesses” answered Mr. Demaj when asked to talk about RF services. ”Detroit has a legacy of innovation and entrepreneurship. We’re building a platform that will make it possible for entrepreneurs and innovators to develop next generation products on“ he added. Mr. Demaj is currently the COO of Rocket Fiber and is responsible for helping with the execution of the their vision by bridging the gap between technology, product and other areas within the company. The project will start with downtown Detroit in 2015 and will expand to other areas in the upcoming years.

“Being proud of your heritage is encouraged in America and it is where it all starts with the Kosovar diaspora in my opinion. I will continue to be involved in projects that have to do with Kosova and Albanians and try to help any way I can.”

“From concept to success: Virtual Diaspora Registration – Goals, challenges and opportunities.” The virtual diaspora registration has received another boost of ideas with a discussion forum held at the consulate general of the Republic of Kosovo in Geneva. This time, the meeting led to a gathering of more than 30 representatives of various associations of the canton of Geneva and Vaud canton. Mr. Arjan Kashtanjeva, has played an active role on making this discussion forum a reality, by directly involving the Kosovar consulate, the discussion had received a boost in attention.

The discussion started with introductory remarks and a greeting by the General Consulate at the Consulate of the Republic of Kosovo in Geneva, Mr. Ramadan Avidiu. The creation of the Ministry of Diaspora and the daily work of the consulate makes affects have been highlighted for their importance on facilitating contact with the Kosovo diaspora community and Kosovar institutions. Mr. Avidu has been closely observing the development of the Kosovar Diaspora; himself being a part of the law of diaspora, Mr. Avdiu is a well-known figure in the Swiss Kosovar community.

Following,Mr.Migjen Kajtazi presented the web platform kosovodiaspora.org through emphasized its importance and the scope of commitment in promoting a positive image of Kosovo. Kosovodiaspora.org has been praised as a reliable and updated news source where Kosovars of various backgrounds received the much needed attention in promoting the diaspora’s true value.

A big part of the discussion has been focused on the possibility of the current registry having flaws on its approach. A number of participants claimed that due to its voluntary nature, the registry is predestined to not fully reach everyone, thus be unable of presenting a real situation. Another participant pointed out that lack of information is what makes it difficult for the registry to have a desired reach.

A number of individuals have been continuously working in making the forum a reality: starting from Liza Gashi, Migjen Kajtazi and Arjan Kashtanjeva.

Mr. Kajtazi and Kashtanjeva contacted representatives of the Albanian associations active in the cantons of Vaud and Geneva that brought the participation of the heads of associations and NGOs as: Albanian community represented by Mr. Ali Ahmeti, www.cageneva.ch, representative of the Swiss Institute of Albanian Studies represented by Mr. Bruno Kajtazi, www.iseal.ch, chairman of the association VIEW, Sir Mentor Ilazi, chairman of the Association of Albanians Gods Nionit Fadil Adam and active personalities close to the community as Sir Dzemaili Berisha choreograph.

The greater community was reached through electronic addresses, phone calls and new media such as dialogplus.ch and albinfo.ch

Merita Gashi is Kosovodiaspora’s persona of today. Currently a PhD candidate in Geopolitics at the University of Paris 8, Ms. Gashi is an adviser to the Kosovar government and is in charge of research, analyses and report writing on a wide range of projects. Currently, she is an adviser to the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare and a board member of Riinvest Institute in Kosovo. 

Due to her international outlook and expertise, Merita has been given the task of acting as a liasaon between Kosovar institutions and international bodies in Kosovo for EU integration. Merita has been frequently active in the written press. She has contributed to public discourse in Kosovo while writing columns for the daily newspaper “Zeri” as well as for other notable journals and blogs. In line with her commitment for social activism, Merita has recently been involved as a Member of the Board for Kosovo’s Institute of Peace, a newly established think-tank in Kosovo, which aims to contribute in advancing peace in Kosovo and the wider region. Merita has a long track of engaging with civil society activities in supporting Kosovo’s European path. In her current position, Merita works as an adviser to the Miniser of Labour and Social Welfare Mr.Arban Abrashi through a project of KFOS and UNDP. She is also a board member of Riinvest Institute located in Prishtina, Kosovo. In the past, she has worked for the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning; supporting the establishment of procedures that ensure regular communication and coordination between the Ministry and local governments.

Alongside other significant academic achievements and workshops, Ms. Merita Gashi is known throughout written media for her publications and most notably for her columns  “Ne për veten dhe … të tjerët për ne…” , and works on Kosovar experts studying abroad under the title of Ekspertët e shkolluar jashtë dhe injorimi që iu bëhet në Kosovë, as well as Koha për protestat akademike të studentëve. Merita has demonstrated her capacity to act as an advocate for Kosovo through all of her academic and professional work and looks forward to continuing this work through contributions to the Diaspora.

For more on Merita please click here

The immigration influx of the 1990’s brought a great number of young Kosovars with ideas and ambitions  to Germany. With lawmakers seeing these changes in a positive light, legal barriers to business-doing were quickly removed ,thus enabling businesses to utilize such potential. These changes offered the opportunity for the Viqa brothers to open up their own business.When brothers Nazmi, Gani and Viqa Ilmi came to Germany in 1992, they brought with them a ambition and determination to work. Established in 1994, they established the  AWR Company and initially started with works on ruined structures, reconstruction and recycling.Through work and great discipline, as well as high quality services, the company expanded to all projects in Germany, winning bids from different companies and German institutions. Their large presence in various industrial complexes, airports and numerous workshops in the meantime shows that AWR is among the leading companies in this sector in the whole of Germany. One of the most prestigious projects of the company was breaking 116-meter building at the University of Frankfurt , which was once the tallest building in Frankfurt. About 30,000 people were gathered last year to see this spectacle, which was conducted with high professionalism of the team’s AWR. 

The number of diaspora businesses in Germany is yet to be known, however there have been steps taken towards creating a database and information log, in particular, the establishment of the Union of Kosovo-German businesses in Cologne in October 2013 marks the starting point of a serious attempt at networking the diaspora based businesses in Germany.The Kosovo-German business union has set up regular meetings with Albanian businesses, visiting the in cities where they work, but also their workshops. These meetings serve to share information of general developments, but also for any current project.

AWR GmbH Company is a good example of success and shows that hard work and courage to invest in the realization of ideas pays off.

Saturday, 6th of June 2015 marks the 2nd Global Virtual Meeting of the Albanian Diaspora members, activists and leaders with the government of Albania and Kosovo.

The list of participants is comprised of important figures from the government, business and civil society: Vlora Çitaku (Kosovo Consul in NYC), Besa Shahini (Senior Analyst at European Stability Initiative), Indira Kartallozi (Director at Chrysalis Family Futures), Avni Mustafaj (Executive Director at National Albanian American Council in Washington D.C.), Jetmir Bakija (Project Manager at Kosovo Democratic Institute in Prishtina), Donika Hoxha (Director at MFA Albania/Public Diplomacy, Partnerships and Diaspora Department), Adi Hoxha (Desk Officer at MFA Albania/Public Diplomacy, Partnerships and Diaspora Department), Nuhi Peci (Albanian Student Association Norway), and Behar Xharra ( Founder of KosovoDiaspora.org).

This Virtual Google Hangout is the second of a series of events that aims to create an online space for candid engagement between diaspora members and their home government. The goal of this event is to jointly discuss innovative approaches for diaspora engagement.

The panel aims to bring together different drivers of the policy-making process, activism and civil society engagement, which influence our diaspora directly. We are convinced that your contribution to our discussion, which aims to bring forward ideas on connecting Albania and Kosovo with the diaspora – will be invaluable.

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The organizer of the discussion forum is NGO Germin in partnership with the International Organization of Migration (IOM), the United Nations Development Office (UNDP) and the Kosovo Ministry of Diaspora (MoD).

Germin is an NGO that uses technology to connect and support the Albanian Diaspora communities with their home countries. Germin has founded and manages the www.kosovodiaspora.org, a crowdsourcing digital engagement platform for Diaspora.

Swiss Cooperation Office in Kosovo (SCO-K) and Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) launched a call for proposals for diaspora organizations.

The overall goal of DSP is to support the development of a democratic society in Kosovo. Through years 2014 – 2018, except the support for projects implemented through Kosovo based organizations, DSP will offer support also the diaspora organizations.

The areas where DSP will invest cover diaspora civic and political rights in Kosovo and transfers of “know-how” by Kosovo’s diaspora for social and economic development in Kosovo. In reaching these objectives, DSP will employ project grants with the purpose of supporting the existing and new civic potential in Diaspora.

Applicants with their proposals shall address one of the priority intervention areas below:

– Diaspora media and civil society contribute to policy and decision-making processes that reflect diaspora civic and political rights in Kosovo.

– Initiatives that aim to create sustainable and institutional mechanisms for providing and transferring sectoral know-how between diaspora and Kosovo are supported

Civil society organizations based in diaspora must fill the application form for grants and budgetincluding all obligatory documents. Completed applications shall be submitted by email at dspdiaspora@kcsfoundation.org latest by 30th of September, 2015.

Guidelines for applications for diaspora can be found here.

Any question you may have on the preparation of applications or grant application details can be sent via e-mail at dspdiaspora@kcsfoundation.org at the latest by 31st of August, 2015. All answers will be uploaded on our website during September, 2015.

Click here for the Albanian version

Click here for the Serbian version

Born in Sweden to Albanian parents from Macedonia, Drita Elezaj decided to pursue a rather unbeaten career path—she decided to become a medical physicist. After obtaining a Master’s Degree in Medical Physics from Lund University in Sweden, Drita started working at Harlev Hostpial. She commutes daily, one hour each way, from Sweden to Denmark where her job is located.

Drita interacts daily with cancer patients. Her job duties include quality assurance of the treatment machines and optimizing the planning of radiation treatments for patients. As a medical physicist, Drita is also responsible for the development of new treatments. Being involved and invested in this aspect of her job, in 2012 Drita participated in a conference organized by the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. She focused her research on tumor shrinkage and wright loss effects on IMRT and RA treatment plan, a specific treatment technique. Her study was presented as a poster and ultimately won the conference’s Best Poster Award. Additionally, Drita Elezaj’s has been featured in different journals and participated in several different conferences and professional meetings in different European countries.

In addition to an impressive career, Drita is a wife and a mother of two children. Being married to an Albanian from Kosovo, Drita says that educating her children about the Albanian roots, culture, and language is something of a high priority for her. In attempt to keep them familiarized with the culture, she tries to take her family to Kosovo at least once a year. Drita thinks that Kosovo’s beautiful nature and the peaceful feel that the surrounding mountains provide are additional incentives for her visits.

Drita’s love for Kosovo transcends simple visits. She explains that radiotherapy is, unfortunately, non-existent in Kosovo right now, and the patients have to travel to neighboring countries for their treatments. But, should the opportunity be given to her, Drita explains, “…I hope that in the near future Kosovo will establish a radiotherapy department, and, then, if there is any possibility, I am willing to help and cooperate.”

Mentor Dida is a 24-year old recent graduate of the Arizona State University, where he finished both his Masters degree in technology and entrepreneurship and undergraduate studies in electronics engineering (alternative energy). He is currently a program coordinator at Ashoka Youth Venture in Washington D.C., an organization that empowers young people to create and launch their own enterprises.

A native of the city of Mitrovica, Mentor’s desire to drive change through technology and promotion of entrepreneurship for the youth has  been visible in numerous initiatives in Kosovo and the United States. He is the co-founder of nonprofit organization Prosperity Initiative in Kosovo that encourages the country’s young people to participate in public service and community work to enhance youth’s role on decision making. “It is a clearing house for volunteers to start new social businesses,” Dida said. “We have workshops about entrepreneurship and philanthropy. There are a lot of problems in Kosovo, and a lot of opportunities for the people to help solve them.”

Prosperity Initiative’s first project is called Lokalizo, a digital mapping platform that utilizes online GIS mapping system for reporting community issues in Kosovo. The concept won best project at the Social Innovations Camp Kosovo, run by the UNICEF Innovations Lab Kosovo.

During his studies, Mentor was active in various activities including fundraising for poverty and homelessness projects and the Clinton Global Initiative University, where he got the chance to meet former President Clinton and discuss issues related to sustainable development in Kosovo.

Considering the high unemployment rate among the youth in Kosovo, Mentor thinks that a good education is the best tool to bring positive change and transform the community through entrepreneurship. He wants to use his knowledge and skills to turn young people into a catalyst for change by tackling poverty and development issues through innovative approaches.

1000 Londoners aims to capture the spirit of the city on film. Last week, a new film went live on 1000Londoners.com – Yllka Istrefi – the marathon-running classical pianist from Haringey.

Yllka is a Kosovan-born classical pianist living in North London who lived through the war in Kosovo in 1999 and subsequently moved to England. She studied at the Royal College of Music and has performed worldwide. She has recently accepted to become one of only 1,600 recognized Steinway Artists. Yllka is also a keen runner and has run at a range of marathons globally, including the 2015 London marathon.

This film is part of 1000 Londoners, the most in-depth and expansive documentary series ever produced about a city. Produced by Chocolate Films it comprises a digital channel focusing on creating video portraits of Londoners. You can visit www.1000londoners.com and watch a range of fascinating 3-minute stories.

For more on Yllka please check: HERE

Rita Zeqiri has participated in many international competitions and is a multiple swimming champion of Kosovo. She will compete in Rio in the 100 meter backstroke discipline.

Rita began swimming when she was 10 years old and continues to swim with the same joy and dedication even now, 9 years later. Rita won over 100 awards and has been a champion of Kosovo for the past five years. Her first debut in a major international competition was in Kazan with Rio promising to be another great adventure for her career.

Kosovo’s 400 meters runner Vijona Kryeziu has been training for the Olympic Games in the mountains around her native village of Rogane, fulfilling a dream that seemed impossible to many of her country’s athletes until very recently.

Even though she is fairly young, being only 18 years old, she is one of the best athletes in the country who has succeeded in the international arenas as well.