Widows Fund Fushe Kosova

Prishtina and Fushe Kosovo are a simple 20-minute car journey away from each other, but the atmosphere and economic prospects of their respective populations are continents apart. The former: a vibrant, bustling capital city of the youngest country and population in Europe. The latter: a forgotten settlement, blighted by pollution, unemployment and most shockingly, lack of educational opportunities - an aspect of life so many of us take for granted.

From the most adverse situations, heroes emerge. Latife is one of them. Widowed during the Kosovo War, we had the pleasure of being invited into her home to see the lengths she goes to in caring for her 13 year-old nephew alone. Alongside the warmest of fireplaces was a clear unconditional love for him, and a desire to ensure he grows up with more opportunities than she did. But, there is so much more all of us could do to help people in the same situation as Latiffe.

Latife grew up in the toughest of circumstances, and this lack of opportunity has an impact to this day like it does with so many of her neighbours. She is illiterate, but does what she can to support her nephew such as scouring rubbish to find anything valuable. She then reinvests this into the young boy’s education. With her son in jail, her daughter-in-law fled the family home when Latife’s nephew (her son) wasn’t even out of nappies. In many social circumstances like this, the government would step in to help. Not Latife’s.

Her internal strength is supplemented by the amazing work The Ideas Partnership does to support her. The organisation has helped cover her for food, transport and other expenses for the last seven years. For Latife’s nephew to continue to prosper, this great work simply cannot stop. A small donation may be a monetary figure, but the value it could add to Latife and her nephew’s life is priceless.