A multi - ethnic street, bearing the name of Fridtjof Nansen, has been built in Fushë Kosovë / Kosova Polje, Kosovo, thanks to the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and Norwegian Church Aid.
The project is a concrete positive result of the inter - ethnic dialogue that has been established between the Albanian, Ashkali and Serbian communities in the town, which is located eight kilommetres the south of Kosovos capital city Pristina.
The main aim of the project was to improve living conditions for the multi - ethnic population of Prizen Street, Fushë Kosovë/Kosova Polje, by laying asphalt and installing lights.
Of benefit to all
The street, which has a total of 1371 inhabitants (613 Ashkalis, 417 Albanians and 341 Serbs) was originally in very poor condition. By improving it, the project aimed to contribute to the sustainability of this ethnically mixed neighborhood, encourage inter - ethnic cooperation and dialogue, as well as increase the freedom of movement and feeling of security for the street's Kosovo Serb inhabitants.
A multi - ethnic neighborhood committee was established to monitor the work of the contracting companies. They took a very active part in following up the reconstruction work and reported daily to Norwegian Church Aid's engineers who were responsible for the monitoring and supervision of the project. Their active contribution, and the careful monitoring work done by NCA staff, who were present daily in the street, contributed to improve the quality of the work, and thus the quality of the end result.
The work was finalized at the end of August and the official opening is due soon, at which time the street will receive a new name: nothing less than Fridtjof Nansen street, after the famous Norwegian explorer and statesman.
For more information, contact:
Ida Suhrke, Programme Coordinator, Kosovo, tel.: (+47) 93 24 24 53