Kosovo Community Watch Project
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EWMI worked to improve relations between ethnic Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo through the implementation of an inter-ethnic Community Watch Project (CWP). The CWP was designed to build trust between Kosovo Serb and Albanian communities by providing mechanisms and resources for them to work together to improve life and security through more effective participation in municipal and central government decision-making processes. The Project established Citizen Watch Committees (CWCs) comprised of citizens, NGOs and local government officials. Through the CWCs and a grants program that supports these communities’ “common cause” projects, Kosovo’s Serbs and Albanians in these target communities were given a pragmatic platform to voice, propose and implement projects that fostered community development and inter-ethnic cooperation, while building trust in Kosovo’s governing institutions. The project succeeded in forming CWCs in several multi-ethnic communities, and tangible results such as a peace park and a newly constructed road have provided hope that Serb and Albanian communities can work together for the betterment of their town, village, or neighborhood and will encourage returns to these neighborhoods. CWP was funded with the support of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.