Unemployment and low education levels among women in rural areas remain among the most serious socio-economic challenges in Kosovo. These issues stem not only from the lack of job opportunities but also from structural barriers such as the absence of public transportation, preschool services, and opportunities for personal development.

To address this reality, the project “Decision-Making through Dialogue: Improving Rural Life through Stakeholder Advocacy”, implemented by the Democracy for Development Institute (D4D) with the support of the regional project “SMART Balkans – Civil Society for Shared Values in the Western Balkans”, aims to promote a new approach to policymaking.

Evidence from several mini-studies we have conducted seeks to stimulate dialogue and direct participation of women in public decision-making processes. Our key argument is for sustainable cooperation between civil society and institutions in order to create concrete solutions that improve women’s access to the labor market through two public interventions:
(a) opening more kindergartens to accommodate children from rural areas, and
(b) subsidizing public transportation that connects villages to cities and to one another.

All evidence suggests that these two interventions would increase equality among children, boost women’s employment, slow down migration, and, overall, contribute to faster economic development in the country.

Within this project, a Women Activists’ Advocacy Group was established, which, with support from D4D, has conducted several studies at the Kosovo level and in selected villages to identify the key factors contributing to women’s unemployment, thus laying the groundwork for structured and politically targeted proposals.

Below you will find a factsheet prepared for the Municipality of Pejë, with a special focus on Buçan village.

The project “Decision-Making through Dialogue: Improving Rural Life through Stakeholder Advocacy” is implemented with the support of the regional project “SMART Balkans – Civil Society for Shared Values in the Western Balkans”, carried out by the Center for Civil Society Promotion (CPCD) in partnership with the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) and the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM), and financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway (NMFA).