Ljiljana Dražević’s business, “Inspiracija/Inspiration,” sells beautiful, handwoven fabrics like scarves, shawls, and throws, in the northern Kosovo city of Mitrovica. The craft of handweaving fabrics has been passed down from generation to generation in this region. Ljiljana teaches women in the community how to make and sell these textiles to ensure the tradition is not forgotten. Just as important as the products they make is the social mission her business serves - community peacebuilding through women's empowerment.
In an interview with Community Building Mitrovica, USAID’s partner for its Reconciliation and Transformation Activity, Ljiljana explained that the community she was from in the north part of Mitrovica was disrupted after the war. Ljiljana, a Kosovo Serb, noticed that women were increasingly socially and economically dependent upon the men in their families. She was aware that the Kosovo Albanian women in the southern part of Mitrovica were experiencing the same challenges. She started knocking on doors and asking women from all ethnic backgrounds to meet and find ways to support each other. She remembers being unafraid to visit and connect with the Albanian women “on the other side of the river” because the commonality of their experiences as women was stronger than any resentments harbored about their differences and the effects of the 1999 war. During these discussions, Ljiljana asked, as she put it, “what can we do together to make the best out of the situation we are in?”
From there, Ljiliana started to tackle the social and economic issues that the women were facing. She used her business to provide entrepreneurship and job skills. She held workshops with other women entrepreneurs who shared lessons on setting up businesses, obtaining loans, and learning effective management skills. The women gained knowledge and they gained their independence.
Ljiljana’s business,“Inspiracija/Inspiration,” was founded on the principle that when women support one another they become empowered – and after all that she has achieved, it’s clear that both the business and the woman live up to the name.
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