Youth celebrate a decade of building peace in Kosovo
KOSOVO- For the past ten years children in Kosovo have been building a new world of peace in a war-torn country that has “cured their souls from war wounds.” At the beginning of January, World Vision Kosovo and World Vision Germany and over 100 children from five communes around the country gathered in Prishtina, Kosovo’s capital, to celebrate how far they have come since the Kids for Peace project began in 2002.
International soccer star Fatmira Bajramaj returned to her homeland in Kosovo to celebrate the anniversary with the children. Fatmira (23) known as Lira, immigrated to Germany in 1992 where she became one of the best football players in the world. Lira came especially to organise a football match as the highlight of the celebration. “I’m so surprised and happy to see these children smiling again. They deserve to live in peace after what they have suffered for so long,” she said during the event.
As they celebrated, the children shared happily with one another about all that had been achieved by the project during the last ten years. They spoke about how Kids for Peace, through 16 peace clubs, had helped to build bridges of peace between youth of different ethnic backgrounds as well as shared their plans for future activities to bring more peace and love to their communities.
"Our souls have been cured from the wounds and shock of war memories"
“We are children. We want to live in a peaceful environment with no war, discrimination or rancour. We are ambassadors of peace in Kosovo. We wish everyone would treat each other with more love and understanding. This would build a more peaceful world and a bridge for our tomorrow!" said the children.
After the opening, the children broke into four football teams and began the competition. “In all this time, the Kids for Peace project helped a lot of children to find peace and understanding in our communities,” said 12-year-old Urim Peja from Kraishta commune. “It has given me the chance to make many more friends. After spending time with them, I look back and see how much my own conceptions and attitudes have changed for the better. Our souls have been cured from the wounds and shock of war memories,” he added.
Over the past decade, the Kids for Peace project gave hundreds of children of many ethnicities the chance to interact face to face to overcome decades of ethnic tension. About 350 children from 16 schools and 5 communes have been creating a culture of peace through relationship building in the country. The fruits of these activities have been immense. Now at the celebration after the football match, children danced their traditional dances holding hands, smiling and expressing their desire for a more peaceful and friendly future.
“I am overjoyed as I watch all these children gather to play and dance together even though they are from different ethnicities,” said Lira Bajramaj. “It’s beautiful to look at their happy faces now where there was no joy in their eyes years ago,” she said as she signs autographs for the children.
Teuta Potvorica, 15, a Serbian girl from Liibjan commune, said, “It’s a good thing to be among all these other boys and girls from different clubs because it helps us to know many other children and see how they live and discover their hopes for the future. This makes our relationships stronger. It’s wonderful”.
“When I became part of Kids for Peace five years ago we were so few, without a clear vision in mind so nothing was easy,” Tueta recalled. “But now we have lots of children from different ethnicities who speak the same language of collaboration. So today just look around,” she points to the children. “We are so much better; we are of different ages and ethnicities but we share the same goal- peace in our land - Kosovo,” she says proudly.
“In all this time, these children have been gathering together on a weekly basis to talk about their rights, growing stronger and more connected every day,” said Driton Krasniqi, Zonal Manager for World Vision in Kosovo. “Now they are able to organise other meetings and to lead the new younger members to become involved in more peace building efforts.”
“In the past ten years we have spent a lot of time with others our age; all of us working toward achieving peace, which is our goal,” says 13-year-old Euronda Berisha who received a medal from the star soccer player. "I can see a time ahead when peace will dominate the atmosphere here. It will happen as we get more members, gain more friends and work together better.”
The celebration was a medal winning performance for all who were there. New hopes and desires for a peaceful Kosovo are being born in the children of the Kids for Peace project.
“I want to be a lawyer when I grow up, because I want to bring justice and equality to the children in Kosovo,” said Urim Peja. “I want to help them grow in peace and learn to love and respect one another more and more.”