February 7th, 2012
Within weeks of the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12th, 2010, reports of violence against women in Port-au-Prince's internally displaced camps emerged. EarthSpark immediately focused its efforts to increase public safety in less secure areas by distributing solar lamps. We targeted this distribution to women, who are most vulnerable at night when they walk through the unlit camps to latrines or washing areas.
Nearly two years later, EarthSpark and its partners have distributed over 8,000 solar lights to women and their families in camps throughout Port-au-Prince and other affected areas. We partnered with the Clinton Global Initiative, Partners in Health, the Ministry of Womens Affairs, and smaller organizations like KOFAVIV and KONPAY, to distribute lamps to women as individuals and in solidarity groups. Three main distributions of a few thousand lamps each were carried out in April 2010, September 2010 and most recently in December 2011.
Thanks to the documentation efforts of Melinda Miles of Let Haiti Live and photographer Evan Abramson, we are pleased to share with you, our supporters, this short video showing the profound effects of a simple solar lamp. We are very grateful to the American Jewish World Service, the Urban Zen Foundation, Asha Jyothi, PACT and Citizen Effect for funding this work.
Last month, working with the United Nations Environment Programme's local health lead, Ernest Mondsir of EarthSpark International coordinated the distribution of solar lights through Linkin Park's Power the World campaign. These lights were given to midwives in rural southern Haiti where they often work to deliver babies by only the light of a candle or small kerosene lamp. While there remain many challenges in their work, these small solar lights will at least provide reliable, smoke-free light.
EarthSpark International is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization
1616 H St. NW Suite 900 Washington, D.C. 20006
http://www.earthsparkinternational.org/
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Thursday, 13 January 2011
One year ago this morning millions of Haitians rose to greet the cool January sunshine
Below is a letter sent by the NGO Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL: www.oursoil.org) to commemorate the first year anniversary of the January 2010 Earthquake in Haiti.
---------------
Dear Friends of Haiti,
One year ago this morning millions of Haitians rose to greet the cool January sunshine. They walked the streets of Port au Prince, on their way to work, through the damp corridors of the capital. The National Palace towered over Champs Mars and the bells of the National Cathedral greeted the market women who gathered long before sunrise. Thousands of mothers kissed their children goodbye for the day and hundreds of schools throughout the capital echoed with the voices of students eager to learn after the Christmas holiday. The parks of the city smelled of fried food and charcoal smoke. It was Tuesday, it could have been any Tuesday, but for over 200,000 people it would be their last.
Twelve hours later as the sun dropped into the bay of Port au Prince the city collapsed. In just 30 seconds over 50% of the buildings in Haiti’s capital city were reduced to rubble, dust filled the air and hundreds of thousands of voices were silenced under the weight of crumbled cement. In Champs Mars survivors rose from the ground and stared in horror at the National Palace, the once proud building reduced to a shell of its former glory, the bells of the National Cathedral lost forever in a heap of twisted metal and shattered glass. Mothers ran through the darkened streets frantically searching for their children, imagining them as they walked off in the morning sun, starched uniforms, smiling faces. Schools which, hours earlier, bustled with the energy of youth lay in ruins and the pages of children’s notebooks floated in the nighttime breeze, rising above the rubble like lost dreams. The shocked and injured flooded the city parks and the smell of charcoal smoke was replaced by the smell of fear and smoldering ruins.
Now one year later and the streets once again echo with voices. It is Wednesday, but not any Wednesday, it is a day of mourning, a day when everyone in this city rose with the names of their lost loved ones on their lips. We woke with the sun to the songs of grief and praise that filled the streets. In Champs Mars the parks are filled with tents and tarps and the National Cathedral has been replaced by open air churches. Mothers hold their children close and the schools which are still standing are quiet, closed for the day in remembrance of all that was lost. The parks of the city are still home to the hundreds of thousands of people who remain homeless one year later.
But if you could hear the singing that fills the air on this January morning you would understand that Haiti’s spirit can never be reduced to rubble as her buildings were. It is as though those that lost their lives one year ago today have returned to sing with their brothers and sisters who survived, reminding them that Haiti will never perish.
To all of our friends and supporters around the world, we ask you to hold Haiti in your heart on this day of remembrance. Take a moment to hear the songs radiating from the heart of the Caribbean and join me in appreciating what Haiti has to teach the world; that no obstacle is so great that it cannot be overcome, that those we have lost will always walk alongside us and that we must never lose our humanity.
One year ago this morning millions of Haitians rose to greet the cool January sunshine. They walked the streets of Port au Prince, on their way to work, through the damp corridors of the capital. The National Palace towered over Champs Mars and the bells of the National Cathedral greeted the market women who gathered long before sunrise. Thousands of mothers kissed their children goodbye for the day and hundreds of schools throughout the capital echoed with the voices of students eager to learn after the Christmas holiday. The parks of the city smelled of fried food and charcoal smoke. It was Tuesday, it could have been any Tuesday, but for over 200,000 people it would be their last.
Twelve hours later as the sun dropped into the bay of Port au Prince the city collapsed. In just 30 seconds over 50% of the buildings in Haiti’s capital city were reduced to rubble, dust filled the air and hundreds of thousands of voices were silenced under the weight of crumbled cement. In Champs Mars survivors rose from the ground and stared in horror at the National Palace, the once proud building reduced to a shell of its former glory, the bells of the National Cathedral lost forever in a heap of twisted metal and shattered glass. Mothers ran through the darkened streets frantically searching for their children, imagining them as they walked off in the morning sun, starched uniforms, smiling faces. Schools which, hours earlier, bustled with the energy of youth lay in ruins and the pages of children’s notebooks floated in the nighttime breeze, rising above the rubble like lost dreams. The shocked and injured flooded the city parks and the smell of charcoal smoke was replaced by the smell of fear and smoldering ruins.
Now one year later and the streets once again echo with voices. It is Wednesday, but not any Wednesday, it is a day of mourning, a day when everyone in this city rose with the names of their lost loved ones on their lips. We woke with the sun to the songs of grief and praise that filled the streets. In Champs Mars the parks are filled with tents and tarps and the National Cathedral has been replaced by open air churches. Mothers hold their children close and the schools which are still standing are quiet, closed for the day in remembrance of all that was lost. The parks of the city are still home to the hundreds of thousands of people who remain homeless one year later.
But if you could hear the singing that fills the air on this January morning you would understand that Haiti’s spirit can never be reduced to rubble as her buildings were. It is as though those that lost their lives one year ago today have returned to sing with their brothers and sisters who survived, reminding them that Haiti will never perish.
To all of our friends and supporters around the world, we ask you to hold Haiti in your heart on this day of remembrance. Take a moment to hear the songs radiating from the heart of the Caribbean and join me in appreciating what Haiti has to teach the world; that no obstacle is so great that it cannot be overcome, that those we have lost will always walk alongside us and that we must never lose our humanity.
One year ago this morning millions of Haitians rose to greet the cool January sunshine. They walked the streets of Port au Prince, on their way to work, through the damp corridors of the capital. The National Palace towered over Champs Mars and the bells of the National Cathedral greeted the market women who gathered long before sunrise. Thousands of mothers kissed their children goodbye for the day and hundreds of schools throughout the capital echoed with the voices of students eager to learn after the Christmas holiday. The parks of the city smelled of fried food and charcoal smoke. It was Tuesday, it could have been any Tuesday, but for over 200,000 people it would be their last.
Twelve hours later as the sun dropped into the bay of Port au Prince the city collapsed. In just 30 seconds over 50% of the buildings in Haiti’s capital city were reduced to rubble, dust filled the air and hundreds of thousands of voices were silenced under the weight of crumbled cement. In Champs Mars survivors rose from the ground and stared in horror at the National Palace, the once proud building reduced to a shell of its former glory, the bells of the National Cathedral lost forever in a heap of twisted metal and shattered glass. Mothers ran through the darkened streets frantically searching for their children, imagining them as they walked off in the morning sun, starched uniforms, smiling faces. Schools which, hours earlier, bustled with the energy of youth lay in ruins and the pages of children’s notebooks floated in the nighttime breeze, rising above the rubble like lost dreams. The shocked and injured flooded the city parks and the smell of charcoal smoke was replaced by the smell of fear and smoldering ruins.
Now one year later and the streets once again echo with voices. It is Wednesday, but not any Wednesday, it is a day of mourning, a day when everyone in this city rose with the names of their lost loved ones on their lips. We woke with the sun to the songs of grief and praise that filled the streets. In Champs Mars the parks are filled with tents and tarps and the National Cathedral has been replaced by open air churches. Mothers hold their children close and the schools which are still standing are quiet, closed for the day in remembrance of all that was lost. The parks of the city are still home to the hundreds of thousands of people who remain homeless one year later.
But if you could hear the singing that fills the air on this January morning you would understand that Haiti’s spirit can never be reduced to rubble as her buildings were. It is as though those that lost their lives one year ago today have returned to sing with their brothers and sisters who survived, reminding them that Haiti will never perish.
To all of our friends and supporters around the world, we ask you to hold Haiti in your heart on this day of remembrance. Take a moment to hear the songs radiating from the heart of the Caribbean and join me in appreciating what Haiti has to teach the world; that no obstacle is so great that it cannot be overcome, that those we have lost will always walk alongside us and that we must never lose our humanity.
---------------
Dear Friends of Haiti,
One year ago this morning millions of Haitians rose to greet the cool January sunshine. They walked the streets of Port au Prince, on their way to work, through the damp corridors of the capital. The National Palace towered over Champs Mars and the bells of the National Cathedral greeted the market women who gathered long before sunrise. Thousands of mothers kissed their children goodbye for the day and hundreds of schools throughout the capital echoed with the voices of students eager to learn after the Christmas holiday. The parks of the city smelled of fried food and charcoal smoke. It was Tuesday, it could have been any Tuesday, but for over 200,000 people it would be their last.
Twelve hours later as the sun dropped into the bay of Port au Prince the city collapsed. In just 30 seconds over 50% of the buildings in Haiti’s capital city were reduced to rubble, dust filled the air and hundreds of thousands of voices were silenced under the weight of crumbled cement. In Champs Mars survivors rose from the ground and stared in horror at the National Palace, the once proud building reduced to a shell of its former glory, the bells of the National Cathedral lost forever in a heap of twisted metal and shattered glass. Mothers ran through the darkened streets frantically searching for their children, imagining them as they walked off in the morning sun, starched uniforms, smiling faces. Schools which, hours earlier, bustled with the energy of youth lay in ruins and the pages of children’s notebooks floated in the nighttime breeze, rising above the rubble like lost dreams. The shocked and injured flooded the city parks and the smell of charcoal smoke was replaced by the smell of fear and smoldering ruins.
Now one year later and the streets once again echo with voices. It is Wednesday, but not any Wednesday, it is a day of mourning, a day when everyone in this city rose with the names of their lost loved ones on their lips. We woke with the sun to the songs of grief and praise that filled the streets. In Champs Mars the parks are filled with tents and tarps and the National Cathedral has been replaced by open air churches. Mothers hold their children close and the schools which are still standing are quiet, closed for the day in remembrance of all that was lost. The parks of the city are still home to the hundreds of thousands of people who remain homeless one year later.
But if you could hear the singing that fills the air on this January morning you would understand that Haiti’s spirit can never be reduced to rubble as her buildings were. It is as though those that lost their lives one year ago today have returned to sing with their brothers and sisters who survived, reminding them that Haiti will never perish.
To all of our friends and supporters around the world, we ask you to hold Haiti in your heart on this day of remembrance. Take a moment to hear the songs radiating from the heart of the Caribbean and join me in appreciating what Haiti has to teach the world; that no obstacle is so great that it cannot be overcome, that those we have lost will always walk alongside us and that we must never lose our humanity.
One year ago this morning millions of Haitians rose to greet the cool January sunshine. They walked the streets of Port au Prince, on their way to work, through the damp corridors of the capital. The National Palace towered over Champs Mars and the bells of the National Cathedral greeted the market women who gathered long before sunrise. Thousands of mothers kissed their children goodbye for the day and hundreds of schools throughout the capital echoed with the voices of students eager to learn after the Christmas holiday. The parks of the city smelled of fried food and charcoal smoke. It was Tuesday, it could have been any Tuesday, but for over 200,000 people it would be their last.
Twelve hours later as the sun dropped into the bay of Port au Prince the city collapsed. In just 30 seconds over 50% of the buildings in Haiti’s capital city were reduced to rubble, dust filled the air and hundreds of thousands of voices were silenced under the weight of crumbled cement. In Champs Mars survivors rose from the ground and stared in horror at the National Palace, the once proud building reduced to a shell of its former glory, the bells of the National Cathedral lost forever in a heap of twisted metal and shattered glass. Mothers ran through the darkened streets frantically searching for their children, imagining them as they walked off in the morning sun, starched uniforms, smiling faces. Schools which, hours earlier, bustled with the energy of youth lay in ruins and the pages of children’s notebooks floated in the nighttime breeze, rising above the rubble like lost dreams. The shocked and injured flooded the city parks and the smell of charcoal smoke was replaced by the smell of fear and smoldering ruins.
Now one year later and the streets once again echo with voices. It is Wednesday, but not any Wednesday, it is a day of mourning, a day when everyone in this city rose with the names of their lost loved ones on their lips. We woke with the sun to the songs of grief and praise that filled the streets. In Champs Mars the parks are filled with tents and tarps and the National Cathedral has been replaced by open air churches. Mothers hold their children close and the schools which are still standing are quiet, closed for the day in remembrance of all that was lost. The parks of the city are still home to the hundreds of thousands of people who remain homeless one year later.
But if you could hear the singing that fills the air on this January morning you would understand that Haiti’s spirit can never be reduced to rubble as her buildings were. It is as though those that lost their lives one year ago today have returned to sing with their brothers and sisters who survived, reminding them that Haiti will never perish.
To all of our friends and supporters around the world, we ask you to hold Haiti in your heart on this day of remembrance. Take a moment to hear the songs radiating from the heart of the Caribbean and join me in appreciating what Haiti has to teach the world; that no obstacle is so great that it cannot be overcome, that those we have lost will always walk alongside us and that we must never lose our humanity.
One year ago this morning millions of Haitians rose to greet the cool January sunshine. They walked the streets of Port au Prince, on their way to work, through the damp corridors of the capital. The National Palace towered over Champs Mars and the bells of the National Cathedral greeted the market women who gathered long before sunrise. Thousands of mothers kissed their children goodbye for the day and hundreds of schools throughout the capital echoed with the voices of students eager to learn after the Christmas holiday. The parks of the city smelled of fried food and charcoal smoke. It was Tuesday, it could have been any Tuesday, but for over 200,000 people it would be their last.
Twelve hours later as the sun dropped into the bay of Port au Prince the city collapsed. In just 30 seconds over 50% of the buildings in Haiti’s capital city were reduced to rubble, dust filled the air and hundreds of thousands of voices were silenced under the weight of crumbled cement. In Champs Mars survivors rose from the ground and stared in horror at the National Palace, the once proud building reduced to a shell of its former glory, the bells of the National Cathedral lost forever in a heap of twisted metal and shattered glass. Mothers ran through the darkened streets frantically searching for their children, imagining them as they walked off in the morning sun, starched uniforms, smiling faces. Schools which, hours earlier, bustled with the energy of youth lay in ruins and the pages of children’s notebooks floated in the nighttime breeze, rising above the rubble like lost dreams. The shocked and injured flooded the city parks and the smell of charcoal smoke was replaced by the smell of fear and smoldering ruins.
Now one year later and the streets once again echo with voices. It is Wednesday, but not any Wednesday, it is a day of mourning, a day when everyone in this city rose with the names of their lost loved ones on their lips. We woke with the sun to the songs of grief and praise that filled the streets. In Champs Mars the parks are filled with tents and tarps and the National Cathedral has been replaced by open air churches. Mothers hold their children close and the schools which are still standing are quiet, closed for the day in remembrance of all that was lost. The parks of the city are still home to the hundreds of thousands of people who remain homeless one year later.
But if you could hear the singing that fills the air on this January morning you would understand that Haiti’s spirit can never be reduced to rubble as her buildings were. It is as though those that lost their lives one year ago today have returned to sing with their brothers and sisters who survived, reminding them that Haiti will never perish.
To all of our friends and supporters around the world, we ask you to hold Haiti in your heart on this day of remembrance. Take a moment to hear the songs radiating from the heart of the Caribbean and join me in appreciating what Haiti has to teach the world; that no obstacle is so great that it cannot be overcome, that those we have lost will always walk alongside us and that we must never lose our humanity.
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
In Memoriam: A Moment of Silence - Haiti Earthquake 12 Jan 2010
That the memory of the efforts and contributions of our colleagues who perished on that fateful day may spur us on to continue supporting Haiti in its tumultuous struggles to rise from the ashes, we invite you all to observe a brief moment of silence at 1700 hours (5 pm) SDQ time.
In the words of MINUSTAH SRSG Edmond Mulet: " While honouring the dead, also honour the living because the challenges ahead are still enormous."
http://www.un.org/en/memorial/haiti/
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
New DPKO, OHRM training initiative gathers mission focal points for Quick Impact Projects
Posted: Wednesday, 10 November 2010, New York
Author: Department of Peacekeeping Operations
Thirteen focal points for Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) across eight peace operations gathered in New York from 19 to 21 October for the pilot “Quick Impact Project Management for Peacekeepers” training course.
As a joint endeavour of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) in the Department of Management, the tailored project management course aimed to strengthen the capacity of QIPs programme managers and focal points in the implementation and oversight of QIPs. Notably, the course also provided a forum to host a policy consultation on the review of the DPKO / DFS Policy Directive on QIPs (2007).
First introduced in the 2000 Brahimi Report, QIPs have been included in mission budgets since and are intended as instruments to promote confidence-building in either the mission, the mission mandate or the peace process. For the 2009-2010 budgetary cycle, approximately USD 12.5 million was appropriated to eight missions for the implementation of small-scale QIP projects. In support of the ultimate aim of confidence-building, successful QIPs have ranged from the installation of solar-powered public lighting in Haiti, to the rehabilitation of policing border posts in Liberia, to civic education for deaf communities in South Sudan.
While the policy directive has been instrumental in clearly defining the purpose of QIPs, in providing parameters to hold missions accountable for QIPs expenditures and in increasing the consistency with which QIPs are implemented and evaluated across missions, some challenges in the implementation of QIPs have remained. These challenges are largely related to questions concerning dedicated management capacity for QIPs, efficiency in the application of financial regulations, and impact evaluation.
The training course provided a welcome opportunity to share good practices, problem-solve around challenges in the implementation of QIPs and establish priorities for the review of the policy directive. On the basis of many of the inputs shared in the training course, DPKO/DPET and DFS/FBFD will jointly undertake a lessons learned exercise and revision of the policy directive over the next several months.
Moving forward, DPKO and OHRM will explore the possibility of offering the course annually as well as the feasibility of developing a Train the Trainer module, which would enable dissemination of course knowledge to staff who work on QIPs projects within missions.
For more information about the training course or QIPs policy review, contact the Civil Affairs Team in the Peacekeeping Best Practices Section at dpko-civilaffairsnetwork@un.org.
For those with access to the United Nations intranet (i-Seek): http://iseek.un.org/webpgdept1917_24.asp
Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence - Fellowship 2010: Taboo
BalkanInsight.com: “Fellowship 2010: Taboo” invites you to a special section where you can find eight articles produced under the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme.
This series of reports is the result of the fellows’ four months of investigation, extensive research and travels across the Balkans and the EU. This year, the writers addressed the topic of taboo, tackling rooted beliefs and their transformation under pressures of modernity.
The Fellowship programme, initiated by the Robert Bosch Stifting and ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, fosters quality reporting, encourages regional networking amongst journalists and advances in-depth coverage on complex issues that are central to the region as well as to the European Union.
As the aim of this programme is to tackle the deficit of information and ensure easier information flow within the Balkans, and between the region and the EU, you are encouraged to further disseminate and republish the articles, free of charge.
Along with English, you will find translations of each article in the local languages of the Balkans. We have a range of appropriate photography which is available in high resolution for print and online media use.
The following articles are part of the programme:
Ivan Angelovski – Serbian Church Accused of Sex Abuse Cover -Up. A powerful alliance of Orthodox clergy, judicial officials and politicians may have succeeded in shielding clerical child abusers from justice (Ivan reported from Vranje, Irig, Nis, Sremski Karlovci, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Bjeljina and Dublin)
Mila Popova – Pill Addiction grips the Balkans. The use of tranquillizers and antidepressants appears to be on the rise in south-eastern Europe, as people struggle to recover from recent wars and cope with the stresses of modern consumerism (Mila reported from Sofia, Belgrade, Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Glasgow)
Doroteya Nikolova – Women head East for Wombs to rent. Banned from paying someone to carry a child for them at home, infertile women travel as far as Ukraine in search of surrogate mothers (Doroteya reported from Varna, Sofia, Kharkov, Kiev, Brasov and Belgrade)
Georgiana Ilie – Battered Wives Shunned in the Balkans. Women who evict violent husbands from the family home often face disapproval, even outright hostility, from neighbours and relatives in the patriarchal societies in which they live. (Georgiana reported from Targu-Mures, Vienna, Belgrade and Paris)
Ruzica Fotinovska - Freed Prisoners Remain Caught Behind Bars. Shunned by their families and unable to access formal rehabilitation programmes, many former prisoners in Macedonia quickly reoffend and end up back where they started. (Ruzica reported from Skopje, London and Belgrade)
Majlinda Aliu – Trapped in Black: Balkan War Widows. War widows throughout Europe may have shared a common fate, but their subsequent life experiences - from socially conservative Kosovo to liberal England- are radically different. (Majlinda reported from Krusha e Madhe, Gjilan, Pristina, Vukovar and Wotton Basset)
Jeton Musliu - Kosovars turn blind eye to fake foreign marriages. Kosovar Albanians are increasingly tolerant of men who divorce local wives in order to temporarily marry foreigners and obtain resident status in the West. (Jeton reported from Pristina, Peja, Skenderaj, Belgrade and Stuttgart)
Ervin Qafmolla – Cult of Virginity Fades Slowly in Albania. While Tirana embraces the modern sexual revolution, traditional moral codes still hold sway in remote northern Albania. But even there, things are gradually changing. (Ervin reported from Tirana, Dhermi, Kukes and Palermo)
This series of reports is the result of the fellows’ four months of investigation, extensive research and travels across the Balkans and the EU. This year, the writers addressed the topic of taboo, tackling rooted beliefs and their transformation under pressures of modernity.
The Fellowship programme, initiated by the Robert Bosch Stifting and ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, fosters quality reporting, encourages regional networking amongst journalists and advances in-depth coverage on complex issues that are central to the region as well as to the European Union.
As the aim of this programme is to tackle the deficit of information and ensure easier information flow within the Balkans, and between the region and the EU, you are encouraged to further disseminate and republish the articles, free of charge.
Along with English, you will find translations of each article in the local languages of the Balkans. We have a range of appropriate photography which is available in high resolution for print and online media use.
The following articles are part of the programme:
Ivan Angelovski – Serbian Church Accused of Sex Abuse Cover -Up. A powerful alliance of Orthodox clergy, judicial officials and politicians may have succeeded in shielding clerical child abusers from justice (Ivan reported from Vranje, Irig, Nis, Sremski Karlovci, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Bjeljina and Dublin)
Mila Popova – Pill Addiction grips the Balkans. The use of tranquillizers and antidepressants appears to be on the rise in south-eastern Europe, as people struggle to recover from recent wars and cope with the stresses of modern consumerism (Mila reported from Sofia, Belgrade, Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Glasgow)
Doroteya Nikolova – Women head East for Wombs to rent. Banned from paying someone to carry a child for them at home, infertile women travel as far as Ukraine in search of surrogate mothers (Doroteya reported from Varna, Sofia, Kharkov, Kiev, Brasov and Belgrade)
Georgiana Ilie – Battered Wives Shunned in the Balkans. Women who evict violent husbands from the family home often face disapproval, even outright hostility, from neighbours and relatives in the patriarchal societies in which they live. (Georgiana reported from Targu-Mures, Vienna, Belgrade and Paris)
Ruzica Fotinovska - Freed Prisoners Remain Caught Behind Bars. Shunned by their families and unable to access formal rehabilitation programmes, many former prisoners in Macedonia quickly reoffend and end up back where they started. (Ruzica reported from Skopje, London and Belgrade)
Majlinda Aliu – Trapped in Black: Balkan War Widows. War widows throughout Europe may have shared a common fate, but their subsequent life experiences - from socially conservative Kosovo to liberal England- are radically different. (Majlinda reported from Krusha e Madhe, Gjilan, Pristina, Vukovar and Wotton Basset)
Jeton Musliu - Kosovars turn blind eye to fake foreign marriages. Kosovar Albanians are increasingly tolerant of men who divorce local wives in order to temporarily marry foreigners and obtain resident status in the West. (Jeton reported from Pristina, Peja, Skenderaj, Belgrade and Stuttgart)
Ervin Qafmolla – Cult of Virginity Fades Slowly in Albania. While Tirana embraces the modern sexual revolution, traditional moral codes still hold sway in remote northern Albania. But even there, things are gradually changing. (Ervin reported from Tirana, Dhermi, Kukes and Palermo)
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