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March 19, 2004
Dear colleagues and friends, dear supporters of Kosova *,
Until March 17, 2004, I believed that violence, injustice and terror were slowly being replaced by peace and reconciliation in Kosova. I, and other citizens of Kosova, have spent so much time and energy on the reconstruction of our country. We can not believe that the violence and destruction of these past three days has happened to us. I wish that this was a bad dream, but unfortunately that is not the case. It is like planting your land, and as you wait for it to harvest it is taken from you.
I find myself asking questions. How did this happen? Why were more measures not taken to prevent this tragedy? Why have we allowed people’s anger to be directed towards destruction? These and many other questions come from me and others like me who have invested their lives in finding a better future for Kosova. I do believe, and I will always believe, that Kosova has a future. This is not just a wish, but something that I know most Kosovars want and will work to guarantee. We have worked for too many years, in spite of continual hardship and poverty, to give up now. The last five years in particular are testament to the will of Kosovars.
During this time, Women for Women International - Kosova has assisted nearly 2,000 women as they strive to put their lives back together following the ethnic cleansing and other horrors that all people in Kosova suffered during the early 1990s. These women have actively participated in Women for Women International’s core program of sponsorship, rights-awareness education and vocational skills training. Women for Women International – Kosova is now in the process of implementing a project funded by HEKS (a Swiss association) that would support income-generating projects in beekeeping, handicrafts, weaving and flowers; small business development for women; and scholarships for young women to attend secondary school, university or to have some advanced trainings that will enable them to find employment.
Now more than ever, efforts like these need to be acknowledged and appreciated. Recognition of the hardship as well as the successes of Kosovars will help us move forward and avoid tragedies like that of the past few days. For the sake of humanity, and our country’s future, it is up to us to identify and to fight against those who killed people; burned churches, houses, and other property; and attacked NATO and K-FOR.
I am ashamed for what has happened in my country. I deeply regret the grave destruction and loss, and that it was not stopped sooner. However, I am confident that this was not done in the name of the majority of Kosova. This has been done by a small section of the population; people who want to see Kosova in flames and do not care where or how the fire is set.
These days of violence have changed Kosova. So much of the tireless effort that has been put into defeating poverty and injustice and creating a just and peaceful society has been destroyed within a few hours. I fear the negative impact this will have on my country’s reputation. What will the people of all religious, national and ethnic backgrounds that gave support to those victimized by terror and violence think of us?
On this day when the number of victims grows close to 30, the number of injured nears 600, and the destruction to monuments and property is incalculable, I ask you to stand by Kosova. Kosovars need your support. Together we will fight those who threaten the prospect of a stable and secure future for Kosova. In a time when the world is more insecure and unsafe than ever before, I believe that every individual in support of democracy and peace matters greatly. I believe in my people and in the fact that we will manage, as we have in the past, to win this struggle. Together all Kosovars will repair the damage that has been done and we will move forward. I only hope that this violence has not driven away individuals who believed in us and supported us during difficult times; I hope that those that shared their knowledge and resources have not been alienated; and most importantly that those who at times risked their lives do not feel betrayed.
On behalf of myself, everyone at Women for Women International - Kosova, and all of the women that participate in our program, I express our appreciation for all that has been done so far in support of Kosova. We express our deepest and most sincere condolences to the families of those lost to this violence. It is our hope that these will be Kosova’s last victims and that the peace-building can continue.
Hamide Latifi, Country Director
Women for Women International-Kosova
* “Kosova” is the accepted Albanian language spelling of the province and reflects the local population’s hope for a future of autonomy and self-rule. "Kosovo" is the internationally recognized and Serbian language spelling because the province remains a part of Serbia and Montenegro.
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