Njeri Per Tjetrin

Njëri për tjetrin started as a group on Facebook with the aim of helping families struck by acute poverty as the result of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Kosovo is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with around 17.6% live on the verge of poverty and 5.2% on the verge of extreme poverty. While there is a social assistance scheme, it often is not sufficient to cover most of the living and healthcare cost of the average Kosovar family in need. Low wages and lack of job security put many of the families at the mercy of remittance payments from their relatives in the diaspora (if they’re lucky enough to have any). For those who do not have relatives, poverty is always only one step away. Natural disasters, accidents, and pandemics are often the “gateway” into poverty for many of those families when very often all what they need, is a little help until they get back on their feet. We understand that the municipalities in Kosovo do not have the means to help quickly and efficiently in those cases. Social schemes take a long time to verify families in need, and often, their budgets may also be not sufficiently available to cover the impending expenses. On the other hand, Kosovo has a very large diaspora who is always very present when it comes to donating for charitable causes. More often than not though, many Kosovars living in the diaspora do not know how to help or where to direct that help to, and if their donations are reaching the families that truly need it. Our One to One Charity Concept “Njëri për Tjetrin”- is based on the premise that the more personal the charity is, the more effective it will be. We have successfully played the role of the intermediate by linking families in need to sponsors who were willing to sponsor a monthly supply for groceries and hygienic products for those families. Families would entrust us with their personal details, for us to share the sponsors.