20/11/2021: Children's Rights Day - The new Concordia project in Kosovo protects children against child labour

Concordia Social Projects has been active in the Republic of Kosovo since the beginning of 2021.
The Concordia education centre Tranzit in the small town of Prizren is a contact point for children from the most precarious backgrounds. We actively reach out to families who are on the margins of society and live in extreme poverty.

Education instead of begging

The outbreak of the pandemic has worsened the situation, especially for children and young people. Children from less educated backgrounds are losing out on schooling. Violence in families and psychological problems have increased significantly. Some of the parents' sources of income have dried up. Schools are closed again and again. The situation additionally causes child labour and the risk of losing children who were once integrated into the school system again.

Children beg in shopping streets, collect rubbish, iron and steel - often injuring themselves in the process. Concordia fights for every single child and looks closely where others look the other way, where children's rights are not respected and broken without consequences.

The Republic of Kosovo undoubtedly still has many challenges to overcome on its way towards the European Union. High unemployment, poverty, a lack of social and health care systems, poor educational opportunities and the observance of children's rights are important building blocks for the new government. Although a law on the implementation of children's rights was passed for the first time in 2019, there is a lack of real implementation. A fact that prompts Concordia Social Projects to actively advocate for the observance of children's rights in Kosovo. Because every single child has the right to protection and education.