Widows Fund Fushe Kosova

There is an atmosphere of noisy chaos in Istisha’s yard. A small brown dog is barking incessantly, while a puppy is rooting around in the scrap nearby. Her nine year old son Osman is scattered – partly intrigued by us, he doesn’t want to miss out on anything, but he also wants to play with his puppy and generally keep moving. At some point during our arrival a young neighbor has also let herself in to the family’s yard to see for herself what the excitable furor is all about. While Istisha leads us down the side of the yard to a sofa set under a corrugated iron roof acting as a porch, her other son, eight year old Omer, is never more than three inches from her side.

Istisha is welcoming but distant as she encourages us to sit down. She seems distracted although she remains polite. It is clear that whatever is bubbling away inside of her is very close to the surface. She seems to be struggling to maintain her composure. As Istisha begins to open up to us, brushing her short hair away from her face in readiness, Omer sits in her lap, silent and forlorn looking. Osman has disappeared around the corner, although whatever he is doing has done nothing to abate the dog’s frantic barking.

Two months ago, Ahmet, the boys’ father – Istisha’s husband, died of heart failure. He had suffered poor health as a result of heart problems for years, and for this reason could never work full time at rubbish picking or any other job. Istisha tells us that they have always been poor, but at least when Ahmet was alive they had a little bit of money coming in and they at least had each other. Struggling to hold back tears, Istisha’s voice increases in pitch and shakes as she informs us that now she has no way of providing food for her two sons, or paying the electric bill. For the last two months she has been relying entirely on small donations from friends and neighbours, themselves struggling, who know that she is grieving for the loss of her husband and for her inability to provide a secure environment for her boys.

As she begins to tell us that since Ahmet’s death she has been regularly fainting as a result of the stress of trying to provide food for her growing sons, Istisha’s overwhelming feeling of despair overcomes her and she weeps - tears streaming down her cheeks. Omer sits in her lap unmoving, almost catatonic, while Osman is boisterously playing with his puppy, seemingly oblivious to the conversation we are having with his mother.

It seems the boys have coped very differently with the death of the father. Osman is a recipient of support from The Ideas Partnership as part of the ‘Get a Kosovan Kid to School’ programme. He also sometimes attends the Saturday academic support classes at the charity’s centre. August is the summer holidays, but he attended school up until summer break began and is

looking forward to returning to school afterwards. His concentration seems to be thin, but he is trying to forge on with his young life as best as he knows how – noisily, with his equally boisterous puppy.

Omer on the other hand, refuses to leave his mother’s side since his father died. The death of his father combined with the trauma of seeing his mother faint regularly is too much for him, and he cannot bear to leave his one remaining parent even to go to school. Istisha sobs uncontrollably as she tells us that when she does have a little money to buy food, Omer’s refusal to leave her side makes everything more difficult. Shopping is no longer easy and two bodies going to the market or to the doctor makes transport more expensive.

Now that Istisha’s case has been brought to the attention of the Ideas Partnership and she has been registered, Istisha will receive monthly financial support through the Widows Fund. This will ensure that when Omer feels ready, he can go back to school. The fund will also provide Istisha with a little peace of mind, knowing that she has a means of buying basic food stuffs and paying her electric bill.

Osman trundles back around the corner towards us with his puppy in a bright red harness and matching lead. Omer is now sat next to his mother rather than in her lap, as she wipes her puffy eyes, but he is still only an inch away from her. The Widows Fund will ensure that neither of these boys needs to drop out of school early in order to pick rubbish as a way of replacing their father’s meager income. Istisha tells us that her only wish it to watch her children grow up with enough food and for them to be happy. The Widows Fund will contribute towards making this wish a reality for her.