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Cleaning Up Kosovo
Three garbage clean-up project sites were visited on January 15 by USAID/Kosovo Mission Director Michael Farbman along with the mayors of each of the three municipalities targeted -- Mitrovice/a, Skenderaj/Srbica and Vushtrri/Vucitrn. The clean-up project, part of the Kosovo Cluster and Business Support (KCBS) project implemented by Chemonics International, employed Eurokos, a road contractor, to clean-up rivers, housing complexes and school yards in three municipalities' town centers. The project met its two goals -- cleaning up particularly hazardous sites and providing 3,000 man days of
employment (an average of 25 workers in each municipality) to unemployed young men. Eurokos reports they hauled away approximately 850 tons of garbage, while a further 400 tons were removed by private operators for sorting out recyclable materials. The targeted municipalities supported the clean-up project by placing additional trash dumpsters near sites following the clean-up, hoping to encourage residents to use the dumpsters.
The Center for Support to Business Associations opens
The newly refurbished Business Association Development Center was officially opened on November 22, as the Association of Concrete Producers held its first Assembly Meeting in the premises.
USAID's Kosovo Cluster and Business Support project funded a grant to the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (OEK) for the provision of equipment for the Business Association Development Center located in the Chamber. The Center will be used for meetings, training purposes and promotional activities of Business Associations. The Center will serve as a base for initial activities during the early weeks following establishment of a new business association, and will also provide initial secretarial support.
The Kosovo Chamber of Commerce demonstrated it's commitment by funding renovations to the premises which will house the Center. Additional donations from members of the Chamber underscore the private-sector's support and buy-in to the initiative. The room has been furnished with equipment for simultaneous translation in three languages (Albanian, English and Serbian), one laptop computer, and a video projector for presentations. KCBS works with business associations to improve their organizational skills, upgrade the competitiveness of client companies, help access new
markets, and better advocate for industry needs.
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