KWN, AH Release New Report on Funding for Women’ Rights Programmes in Kosovo

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The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) and Alter Habitus – Institute for Studies in Society and Culture launched, on November 27, 2013, the report “Where’s the Money for Women’s Rights? A Kosovo Case Study”. Representatives of more than 40 donor organizations, women's NGOs and other civil society organizations present at the launch discussed the findings and recommendations of the nine-month study.

The research examines the importance of supporting women’s organizations in relation to social change processes; funding trends between 2000 and 2013; the financial sustainability of women’s organizations; trends impacting donors’ decisions to fund women’s organizations (or not); and opportunities for collaboration among women’s organizations and donors in creating collective resource mobilization strategies and funding mechanisms for women’s organizations.

The report also makes recommendations for all stakeholder - government, non-governmental women’s organizations and donors regarding the best ways for achieving fruitful results in promoting gender equality in Kosovo, as well as for creating a comprehensive strategy for mobilizing resources from the perspective of the feminist movement.

“Organizations for women's rights play an important role in supporting and developing democratic institutions, promoting women’s rights as human rights, shifting gender norms, raising public awareness, providing services to marginalized groups (especially when they lack support from the state), and seeking accountability from the government through advocacy”, Nicole Farnsworth, KWN Lead Researcher said at the presentation.

The participants agreed that better coordination between donors, women’s organizations and the government would help in advancing women’s rights. Moreover, the KWN Kosova Women’s Fund, which combines small grants, intensive training and mentoring for organizations, was seen as a potential solution for donors who want to support small organizations. While small organizations may not have the capacity to compete with larger organizations, they carry out very important work with rural and marginalized groups.

Women’s organizations used the opportunity to ask the donors for long-term contracts which would enable organizations to implement strategies towards their long-term visions. For them, long-term support clearly impacts on strengthening the women’s movement in Kosovo and advances social change.

The Where’s the Money for Women’s Rights? Report (available on KWN website), supported by the Association of Women in Development (AWID) and Kvinna till Kvinna, is based on the field research conducted between January and September 2013. The report draws from 40 interviews with donors who have worked in Kosovo and a survey of 90 diverse women’s organizations.