Women's Opportunity Center In Kosovo
A New Era of Support as Groundbreaking Begins
Pristina, Kosov, September 11, 2009 — The foundation has been laid for the next step in Women for Women International's mission to empower women survivors of war: the women's opportunity center. Envisioned as a one-stop shop for graduates and participants to access training, services and support, the Women's Opportunity Center, or WOC, is the next stage of success for the international humanitarian and development assistance organization Women for Women International (WfWI).
On September 14th, 2009 turning the first shovel-full of earth for the first WOC in Pristina, Kosovo August 29th, WfWI-Kosovo director Hamide Latifi said:, "In America where new buildings seem to pop up over night, the idea of a groundbreaking may not seem worthy of so much fanfare, but in a country such as Kosovo, whose independence is younger than 2 years, and where women are completely isolated from the outside world, having a Women's Opportunity Center is a dream few of us can even imagine."
In its 10 year history, WfWI-Kosovo has delivered year-long trainings in women's rights, life skills and vocational skills to over 20,000 socially excluded Kosovar women. The WOC will serve as a community center for current participants and graduates alike. For a small membership fee, graduates will have access to a variety of business advisory services, including business development, loan application assistance, job placement, and continued microfinance education. In addition the WOC will provide leadership and other opportunities to continue to help program graduates become economically self sufficient and active citizens within their communities. Now these innovative programs will have a permanent home.
The women's opportunity center is being designed pro bono by architect Sharon Davis of the Sharon Davis Design Studio, whose extensive experience in sustainable design and urban renewal will create a new, green home for the center. The design uses passive airflow to keep cool in the summer, and heavy insulation and southern exposure windows to keep warm in the brutal winters. Natural gas, a far more environmentally sound fuel than common traditional wood and coal burning, will be used to heat the building. An internet cafe will be housed within the WOC for participants use.
Ultimately, the Women for Women, International's Wome's Opportunity Center in Kosovo will serve as a permanent safe haven for women to gather. It will provide a center of steady activity, learning, and commerce in the community, and a source of support for the women of Kosovo. WfWI has plans to roll out the WOC model globally across its chapters, with Rwanda slated for the next groundbreaking. That center will utilize bricks made by participants in neighboring DRC's program. For more information on the WOC's of WfWI programs contact Lyric Thompson at 202.449.9440 or lthompson@womenforwomen.org.
