It was in 2004, in my last year of high school when I heard about a scholarship fund for the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian community members that the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation was awarding. I got into contact with the KCSF project manager, and after a number of back-and-forth’s and many administrative requirements, I finally got the scholarship. I think that was the only time in my life where I didn’t have to work to support myself or my family while simultaneously working on my education. It gave me the luxury of being able to focus exclusively on school. This initiative by KCSF was unique and novel, I hadn’t heard of any scholarships dedicated to Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities before. It was the first and last time that I received support for my education. But it was a worthy investment—it gave me the push to continue my studies at the Faculty of English Language and Literature in the University of North Mitrovica, and I was actually the first Roma member from my community to graduate from this university since after the war.

-Hajrudin Skenderi
National Program Officer with the Swiss Embassy in Kosovo