The people of Kosovo embody the original meaning of the word philanthropy: “Love of Humanity.” In 2021, the World Giving Index ranked Kosovo number nine out of over 140 countries in charitable giving of financial donations, voluntarism, or helping somebody outside your family in a meaningful way. With a long history of demonstrated generosity, loyalty, and solidarity toward one another, the spirit of informal giving in Kosovo is thriving.
On April 7, USAID’s Citizen Engagement Activity held the country’s first-ever philanthropy forum, bringing together leaders from the diaspora, government, civil society, and private sector. Each person in the room shared a common goal: translate this good will into strategic giving that will make an even greater impact on the livelihood of Kosovo’s citizens.
The forum, the first of many USAID is planning in the next few years, opened dialogue aimed at building trust, transparency and greater cooperation across sectors. Vlorian Molliqaj, Executive Director of Action for Mothers and Children, a NGO, thought the meeting was a productive start and identified an important topic for future forums. “We need to invest more in educating both NGOs in how to present their work,…be transparent, and pay back the donors and also [educate] the donors on why they need to donate and how they can pick the most transparent and impactful NGOs.” Others raised the importance of creating policies that incentivize donating instead of making it difficult. For example, the diaspora face prohibitively high transfer fees when they want to donate money back home, according to Lirim Krasniqi, Co-Executive Director of Germin, a CSO that mobilizes diaspora resources.
While this is still the beginning, the collective enthusiasm and commitment of participants during this first forum will serve as solid foundation to fostering a culture of philanthropy in Kosovo.
Nazmije Bajrami, USAID