It’s not every day that we have the chance to see first-hand the shoe manufacturing process or that of honey-making and cosmetics.  On June 21^st, USAID/Kosovo Democracy and Governance Acting Director Miranda Jolicoeur joined the Advancing Kosovo Together Local Solution (AKT-LS) team on a field visit to two of the program’s business grantees, SHPK ERUDITI and NPT GRUDA. The owners of SHPK ERUDITI demonstrated their process of shoe production.  Later, the Gruda family walked the team through their journey from owning a small family beekeeping business to running a company that produces honey and honey-made cosmetic products.

Jolicoeur also visited the newly-asphalted road connecting Srbobran and Tomoc/Tomance villages in the municipality of Istog/Istok, built through an AKT-LS grant.  The new road provides the Albanian, Kosovo Serb, Bosniak, Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities easier access to other parts of the village.

USAID, through this activity, works to increase constructive interethnic cooperation and interaction between Kosovo’s majority and minority populations, which is vital to the security and stability of Kosovo and the region. The program partners with municipalities and other government institutions to support the engagement of targeted communities.