Save the Children was found over 100 years ago, by Eglantyne Jebb, as the first global organization devoted solely to serving children’s needs and securing their rights. To end children’s suffering as a result of the First World War, Jebb launched Save the Children Fund. She was driven by the belief that all children – whoever they are, wherever they are – have the right to a healthy, happy, fulfilling life.

Save the Children is working in Kosova/o since 1997, with the main office in Prishtinë/Priština and geographical presence in 7 muni   cipalities (Peja, Prizren, Gjakova, Mitrovica South, Mitrovica North, Ferizaj, Klina, Junik and Gjilan). With a full-spectrum approach to programming, we engage in both long-term development projects and emergency interventions working in the field of Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Education, and Health and Nutrition.

Our program approach is based on direct interventions and the establishment of good practices, capacity building of civil society, and local duty bearers to respond to the needs of children.

The project “Regional CSO Strengthening 2017-2021”, implemented by Save the Children in Kosova/o and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) is a regional replication of its sister project in Kosovo, which aims to ensure children’s protection through the establishment of responsive Child Protection (CP) systems and supporting Child Rights Governance (CRG) systems and mechanisms to be put in place regionally, namely in Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, and Macedonia.

Through our child rights governance program, we will address the lack of open, inclusive, and accountable governance for child rights and the lack of resources needed for financial obligations to children. We will also support and strengthen CSOs to remove these obstacles and create conditions for long-term sustainable change, including the establishment of a meaningful child participation mechanism and enhancement of social accountability dialogue practices to improve access to quality of services.

 Who we work with

“Civil society strengthening in Kosovo and Europe” is a project which aims to enhance the capacities of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Kosovo and the region to advance children’s rights and address gaps in child protection and child rights governance. The project is implemented in five regions of Kosovo covering 14 municipalities. Save the Children in Kosovo is implementing the project in partnership with nine local and four regional partner organizations.

In Child Protection, we will respond to the prevailing attitudes around violence against children, by working toward legal reform in prohibiting corporal punishment in all settings, raising awareness on child rights and child protection, and the effects of corporal punishment on children.

Through our child rights governance program, we will address the lack of open, inclusive, and accountable governance for child rights and the lack of resources needed to finance obligations to children.

The implementing partners in Kosovo are Syri i Vizionit, HANDIKOS, Organizata për Fëmijët pa Kujdes Prindëror (OFAP), Action for Mothers and Children (AMC), RROGRAEK, Nevo Koncepti, Down Syndrome Kosova, DOMOVIK, Putevima Sunca, Shoqata Autizmi, and Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC). The implementing partners in the region are: Child Rights Centre in Serbia, Women’s Consortium Ukraine (WCU) in Ukraine, Child Rights Information Centre in Moldova, Megjashi in North Macedonia, Step By Step in North Macedonia.