UNICEF continues to support education,
health, mine awareness-raising and psychosocial activities in Kosovo, Albania,
the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.
Kosovo
Education
- UNICEF has compiled unofficial estimates of the numbers of children attending school: 257,416 Albanian Kosovars and 10,219 non-Albanian Kosovars
- Some 74,100 school kits have been distributed, out of a total of 150,000. Over half of the first order of 90,000 chairs, desks and blackboards have been distributed to schools.
- Tents continue to be erected throughout Kosovo. A total of 581 tents have been delivered, of which almost 200 have been distributed. Flooring, lights, stoves and furniture are now being placed in the erected tents. On 5 November, the first complete winterized tent school was erected in a Serb enclave in Gjilane.
- UNICEF is procuring rechargeable battery operated lights for temporary tent classrooms.
- Teachers' stipends have been paid in Mitrovica, with the assistance of UNICEF. In addition, with UNICEF support, 16 Turkish and 70 Bosniak children are attending school at two schools in Mitrovica south, using textbooks in their national languages based on the Serbian curriculum. These children are all sharing facilities with Albanian students.
- UNICEF is providing school bags, desks, chairs, and stoves to an isolated Serbian primary school in Gojbula.
Health
- UNICEF immunization programme had made great progress and UNICEF assisted in the second round of vaccination in all municipalities in the Prizren region.
- UNICEF Emergency health kits, initially ordered for the immediate aftermath of re-entry into Kosovo, continue to be distributed throughout the territory.
- UNICEF will make cash grants for fuel and stoves to winterize maternity rooms.
Child Protection
- UNICEF has submitted a proposal for the establishment of a dedicated juvenile justice system in the territory. About half of Kosovo's population are believed to be under the age of 18.
- UNICEF has been advocating and intervening in individual cases of juvenile offenders being kept in detention facilities.
- UNICEF is creating a database of all youth groups operating throughout the territory of Kosovo.
- UNICEF makes daily visits to a "Gypsy camp" and has supplied school materials for the children, as well as established a playroom.
- UNICEF has installed a generator in the pediatric ward of Prishtina hospital to ensure that during the current period of power-cuts the abandoned children there are protected from the cold weather.
Mine Awareness
- More than a million mine awareness posters and leaflets have been distributed to returning Kosovar refugees and populations who remained within the territory.
- UNICEF's psychosocial project continues to support child landmine casualties at Prishtina hospital. The programme has assisted 28 children to date.
Albania
- During the refugee crisis, UNICEF coordinated an intensive campaign to educate Kosovar refugees and the Albanian population about the dangers of the large quantities of landmines, unexploded ordnance and booby-traps in Kosovo.
- UNICEF distributed education kits (school materials and supplies) and recreation kits (sports equipment and games) to refugee and Albanian children.
- UNICEF supported the printing of copies of a child health book for parents and caregivers.
FYR Macedonia
- UNICEF's health unit is working to rehabilitate water and sanitation facilities in primary health stations and schools where the refugee populations are concentrated.
- UNICEF is conducting a national curriculum review to determine the extent to which life skills, peace education, gender issues, basic numeracy and literacy and learning achievements are integrated into children's education in Macedonia.
- UNICEF held training workshops for teaching staff on how to integrate disabled children into normal programmes.
- UNICEF is supporting the training of Roma teachers, in order to improve their teaching skills.
Serbia (Yugoslavia)
- UNICEF distributed hygiene items to maternity facilities across Serbia, and continues to monitor the coverage and care of internally displaced women who are pregnant.
- UNICEF recently delivered hygiene and other care items to the Belgrade Social Welfare Centre, the Kraljevo Public Health Institute and the Democratic Association of Romas in Belgrade.
- UNICEF began the repair of school facilities in the Kraljevo and Kragujevac districts of Serbia. UNICEF is also furnishing school kits containing desks, blackboards and other materials.
Montenegro (Yugoslavia)
- A mine awareness information campaign has been launched among displaced Kosovo Albanians and Serbians currently living in Montenegro.