Mandushe Goza is a volunteer at Bethany Christian Services Kosovo-Brekoc in Gjakova. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mandushe–an 18 year-old nurse by profession–has been working hard to educate members of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Mandushe is one of 65 volunteers going door-to-door to reach out to members of marginalized communities through a program supported by USAID and UNICEF. These volunteers not only provide critical, accurate information about COVID-19 prevention and vaccination, but are reaching people who others may have previously overlooked – including those who are unable to read.
Mandushe had multiple reasons for getting vaccinated herself. "It was important to get vaccinated because I wanted to be with my loved ones, offer my help to my community and continue my studies without letting the pandemic stop me."
In total, volunteers like Mandushe Goza have reached over 19,400 members of the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities throughout 12 Kosovo municipalities. Thanks in large part to these USAID-supported outreach efforts, approximately 3,700 community members in these municipalities are fully vaccinated against #COVID-19 to date.
UNICEF for USAID Kosovo