Category: Kosovo GBV

Call for International Expert — Development of a Mentoring Programme for Social Service Professionals in Kosovo

EWMI is seeking a Kosovo national or international expert to develop a mentoring programme for social service professionals in Kosovo under our Strengthened Capacity and Mechanisms to Address Gender-Based Violence Project. The Terms of Reference are included below and available to download here.

Contracting organisation: East-West Management Institute (EWMI), ewmi.org
Duty station: Kosovo and remote
Duration: Up to 20 working days
Expected period: November 9, 2026 to 28 February 2027
Reporting to: EWMI Director of Civil Society Programmes and KWN GBV Project Manager
Application deadline: 29 October 2026, 12:00 noon, US Eastern Time

1.     Background

Social service professionals in Kosovo handle a wide range of cases requiring specialised knowledge, professional judgement, and interdisciplinary and inter-institutional cooperation. In addition to training and professional development, they need continuous practical support to apply their knowledge in day-to-day work. Such support is particularly important given the high volume and complexity of cases, as well as the broad range of categories and needs addressed by these professionals. In this context, mentoring can provide additional professional support and specialised expertise to social service professionals, helping them address complex cases more effectively, particularly where available human resources are not always sufficient to respond adequately to growing demand for services. A structured mentoring programme can contribute to their professional development and empowerment and to improving the quality of social and family services

The legal framework for developing and implementing the Professional Mentoring Programme for social service professionals includes Law No. 08/L-255 on Social and Family Services; Law No. 08/L-185 on the Prevention of and Protection from Domestic Violence, Violence against Women and Gender-Based Violence; Law No. 06/L-084 on Child Protection; and Law No. 04/L-128 on the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Human Beings and Protection of Victims of Trafficking. These laws and the bylaws adopted to facilitate their implementation provide the basis for developing a general mentoring programme for social service professionals, which may include specialised subprogrammes tailored to different areas of professional practice. These may include, among others, response to and case management of gender-based violence, including violence against women and domestic violence; mentoring on measures for the care, protection and case management of children in need of protection; and other priority categories and areas determined on the basis of the needs of the Ministry and Centres for Social Work (CSWs). The Programme would allow mentoring to be adapted to the specific characteristics of cases and the professional needs of social service professionals, helping strengthen capacities for identification, assessment, case management, referral and follow-up/supervision.

In this context, the Ministry of Labour, Family and the Values of the Liberation War (the “Ministry”), in cooperation with the East-West Management Institute (EWMI), the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), Terre des hommes Kosovo, other partners and members of the working group, aims to develop a general Professional Mentoring Programme for social service professionals. The Programme should define how mentoring will be organised and managed, the criteria and procedures for selecting, engaging and qualifying mentors, and tools for monitoring, evaluating and assuring the quality of the mentoring process. This common framework will enable the development of specialised subprogrammes for different categories of cases and priority areas of social work practice.

Social service professionals work with diverse categories of beneficiaries whose cases require management tailored to their needs. The Mentoring Programme is envisaged as including subprogrammes that provide mentoring adapted to those needs. Initially, two such subprogrammes will be developed. Given the sensitive nature and prevalence of difficult cases requiring mentoring, the two areas selected are response to gender-based violence, including violence against women and domestic violence, and mentoring on measures for the care, protection and case management of children in need of protection. The gender-based violence subprogramme will build on experience gained through the project “Strengthening Capacities and Mechanisms to Address Gender-Based Violence in Kosovo” (the “Project”), implemented by EWMI and its partner KWN. The child-related subprogramme will be developed in close cooperation with consultants and the relevant institutions working in this field engaged by Terre des hommes Kosovo, using the common mentoring structure while taking into account specific child protection requirements. The expert’s work on the child-related subprogramme will be funded through a separate programme supporting the Ministry, financed by Terre des hommes Kosovo. Separate Terms of Reference (ToR) will be developed for the child-case mentoring subprogramme.

To date, under the Project, KWN has supported Municipal Coordination Mechanisms for Domestic Violence in ten municipalities through needs assessments, development of work plans, capacity building and mentoring. KWN has also developed a curriculum and delivered training for social service professionals on handling and referring cases of violence against women, in cooperation with the Ministry. This experience provides a practical foundation for the gender-based violence mentoring subprogramme and for developing the general mentoring model.

Meanwhile, Terre des hommes Kosovo, in cooperation with the Professional Council for Social and Family Services, has certified trainers on the Principles of Supervision and built the capacities of social service providers in this field.

Building on these experiences, the Project will support the Ministry in developing a functional and sustainable mentoring programme for social workers that can be piloted, evaluated, and gradually scaled up nationally at a later stage.

2.     Purpose and Objective

In the framework of the Project, EWMI will engage a Kosovo national or international expert (the “Expert”) to provide technical assistance to KWN and the Ministry of Labour, Family and the Values of the Liberation War (the “Ministry”) in developing a Professional Mentoring Programme (‘the Programme’) for social service professionals. The Programme will be administered by the Ministry and will establish a common framework for practical mentoring, professional development, and improved quality of social services in Kosovo.

The main objective is to develop a functional Mentoring Programme package defining how the Programme will be organised and managed, institutional roles and responsibilities, criteria and procedures for selecting, engaging and qualifying mentors, mentoring tools, and mechanisms for monitoring, evaluation and quality assurance. The package should also include a realistic plan for piloting and gradually expanding the Programme.

The Programme structure should enable the development of specialised subprogrammes. Under this assignment, the Expert will develop the mentoring approach for the subprogramme addressing gender-based violence, including violence against women and domestic violence, drawing on the experience and materials developed by KWN, the Ministry, and other partners.

The Programme should respond to Kosovo’s institutional and legal context, draw on relevant international practices and be adaptable to changing needs over time.

3.     Description of Work

Working closely with KWN, the Ministry, EWMI, other relevant consultants and stakeholders, the Expert will carry out the following tasks:

  1. Review of existing documents and experience. Review legislation, policies, institutional responsibilities, existing programmes and materials for the professional development of social service professionals, as well as experience gained by KWN and other partners in training, mentoring and practical support.
  2. Consultations on needs and feasibility. Consult the Ministry, KWN, social service professionals, municipal representatives and other relevant stakeholders to identify mentoring needs, existing capacities, required resources and the conditions for operating the Programme.
  3. Development of the general mentoring model. Define target groups, mentoring formats and duration, the mentor–mentee relationship, Programme governance within the Ministry, institutional roles, human and financial resources, and measures for ethics, confidentiality and quality assurance.
  4. Definition of mentor-related processes. Develop minimum criteria and practical procedures for selecting, engaging, preparing, assessing and qualifying mentors, including the documents and tools needed to implement these processes.
  5. Development of the gender-based violence subprogramme. Develop the content and relevant mentoring tools for social service professionals handling cases of gender-based violence, including violence against women and domestic violence. This work should reflect a human-rights-based, trauma-sensitive, survivor-centred and non-discriminatory approach, as well as the role of social service professionals in interinstitutional coordination.
  6. Coordination on the child-related subprogramme. Collaborate with consultants responsible for this area to define the common structure, standards and tools to be used by both subprogrammes. Specialised content for working with children will be developed in coordination with the relevant expertise in this field, with support from Terre des hommes Kosovo.
  7. Preparation of the Programme package. Deliver the practical documents required to implement the Programme, including operational guidelines, mentoring tools, relevant forms, an approach to preparing mentors, and a monitoring and evaluation framework.
  8. Validation and refinement. Facilitate a validation meeting with the Ministry, KWN, EWMI and other designated stakeholders, and revise the Programme package in line with the feedback received.
  9. Implementation planning. Develop a realistic plan for establishing, piloting, evaluating and gradually scaling up the Programme, specifying steps, responsibilities, indicative timelines, required resources and measures for institutional sustainability.

4. Expected Deliverables and Timeline

No.DeliverableContentDays
1Inception reportMethodology and work plan for conducting the needs assessment for the Mentoring Programme, including how stakeholders will be engaged.1
2Diagnostic and conceptual noteSummary of the desk review and consultations; Programme content, human resources, governance and piloting approach.5
3First draft of the Mentoring Programme packageAn operational manual and key Mentoring Programme tools, including job descriptions for Programme staff, documentation and monitoring tools, and a simple public information strategy.9
4Validation and final packageValidation session(s) with the Ministry, KWN and other stakeholders; revised final Mentoring Programme package and action plan for piloting and expanding the proposed Programme.4.5
5Assignment completion reportA brief report describing activities carried out and key results, as well as the Expert’s comments and suggestions.0.5

All deliverables shall be submitted in English. EWMI, KWN and the Ministry will review them and provide feedback within an agreed timeframe.

The assignment will be carried out from 26 October 2026 to 28 February 2027.

5. Management and Coordination

The Expert will be contracted by EWMI, work closely with KWN staff, Terre des hommes Kosovo and the Ministry, and report to EWMI’s Director of Civil Society Programmes and KWN’s GBV Project Manager. KWN will facilitate the Expert’s access to relevant documents and stakeholder contacts. The Expert will provide EWMI and KWN with brief progress updates, immediately flag any issues that arise, and ensure that all work respects confidentiality, the do-no-harm principle, and the safety and dignity of survivors of violence against women.

6. Required Qualifications and Experience

  • Kosovo national or international expert;
  • Advanced university degree in law, gender studies, social sciences, education sciences, public administration, international development or a related field;
  • At least ten (10) years of relevant professional experience in gender equality, preventing and responding to violence against women and domestic violence, social services, and capacity building within public institutions, including professional development and education;
  • Demonstrated experience in developing or supporting mentoring programmes, training, peer learning, or multi-agency coordination, preferably at national level;
  • Strong knowledge of human-rights-based, trauma-informed, survivor-centred, and inclusive approaches to responding to violence against women;
  • Experience in the Western Balkans or comparable contexts is a strong asset; familiarity with Kosovo’s institutional and legal context is desirable; and
  • Excellent facilitation, analytical and drafting skills in English. Knowledge of Albanian and/or Serbian is an advantage.

7. Application Requirements

Interested candidates must submit: (i) a CV highlighting relevant experience; (ii) a short technical proposal outlining the proposed approach and work plan for 20 working days; (iii) a sample of similar work, where available; and (iv) a financial offer specifying a daily professional fee and any anticipated reimbursable costs separately.

Please submit the above documents to info@EWMI.org no later than 29 October 2026.

Download the ToR

Engaging Communities to Combat Gender-Based Violence in Kosovo

ArtPolis-picture 1

Artopolis forum theatre performance “Prapa Ekranit” (Behind the Screen)

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a major threat to the safety and wellbeing of women and girls in Kosovo. Since the fall of 2024, EWMI has been supporting coordinated action by Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), a coalition of more than 100 women’s organizations of all ethnic groups from throughout Kosovo, to strengthen mechanisms and responses to prevent GBV and provide support to survivors.

Educating and engaging women and girls, men and boys, parents and neighbours, community members and leaders about the impact of GBV and the resources available to prevent, report, and address it is crucial to generating social and cultural shifts that lead to eliminating GBV. To that end, during May – December 2025, EWMI and KWN supported community outreach campaigns using participatory approaches by four locally-led advocacy organizations. The organizations distributed multilingual information on GBV and technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) through door-to-door visits, small community group discussions, and online interactions, ultimately reaching more than a quarter of a million people.

Among the project’s local partners, the Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy in Kosovo (OPDMK), reached over 700 people — including direct outreach to 226 persons with disabilities — and generated 1,756 digital interactions. The Women’s Inclusion Centre (ZEC), working with the Serbian community, reached 1,549 people and recorded 760 online engagements.

The Network of Organizations of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian Women in Kosovo (RROGRAEK) reached 725 people, the majority of whom were engaged through in-person activities. Among those reached was a mother in the Ali Ibra neighborhood of Gjakova who shared her experience during the visit, explaining that fear and social prejudice had previously prevented her from seeking help: “The brochure and contact details I received gave me the courage to consider the next steps toward protecting myself and my children.”

“We felt heard and respected. Being informed about the free legal aid office helps us understand that we are not alone and that institutions exist to support us,” said a family from the village of Hereq in the municipality of Gjakova, emphasizing that severe economic conditions and unemployment had directly contributed to tensions within the household.

Another family from the Sef neighborhood expressed relief at learning for the first time about the availability of free legal aid services for survivors of domestic violence: “We have often remained silent due to fear and lack of information, but receiving the brochure and contact numbers increased our sense of safety and hope.”

A family from the Blloku i Ri neighborhood in Gjakova also responded positively to the outreach engagement, reflecting on the broader social context in Kosovo: “The general social situation often makes people feel powerless. These activities raise awareness and strengthen trust in legal support, especially in domestic violence cases.”

Complementing the direct outreach of RROGRAEK, OPDMK, and ZEC, cultural initiatives played a key role in these public education efforts. Artpolis, a nonprofit arts and human rights organization, staged the forum theatre performance “Prapa Ekranit” (Behind the Screen) in six municipalities, engaging 345 students aged 15–18 in discussions on violence against women and online abuse, while related promotional efforts reached nearly 150,000 people.

The show was well-received among both the students and school staff members who attended the performances. One of the student attendees said: “I liked how the actors expressed real-life situations through art, almost like an awareness-raising video. We also received a very important message: control and care are not the same thing because violence is not love, it is a crime.” A high school staff member concurred: “The show carries an educational message, especially for the generations who are currently our high school students. I think many of the interactive discussions with the characters provided a good example for young people on how to act, not to be controlling but to be careful and considerate of their partners.”

Complementing these direct outreach activities, EWMI partner KWN’s nine-day digital campaign on domestic and online violence reached over 595,000 online users, and more than 13,500 — primarily women aged 25–44 — engaged directly with the materials.

EWMI looks forward to continuing to support KWN and our other partners as they expand their comprehensive approach to addressing GBV across Kosovo through outreach, advocacy, and legal action in 2026.