OpenAID - AICS - XM-DAC-6-4-013244-03-5

LOD data

WEMPOWER - Supporting women’s professional training, employment and entrepreneurship in early childhood education services in Kosovo.

Kosovo

Status

Implementation

Aid type

Project-type interventions

Kosovo

Location

€ 1,710,000
Committed

€ 1,197,000
Used

Description

WEMPOWER is an initiative aiming to support professional development, employment, and women-led entrepreneurship in early childhood education (ECE) services in Kosovo. The intervention is designed to alleviate the Kosovo women’ burden of unpaid domestic and care work and it intends to remove one of the main obstacles limiting their professional development and inclusion in the labour market, i.e. the lack and the low quality of ECE services. Therefore, the extension of these services is to be understood as a key driver for the creation of concrete employment opportunities for women. In the medium and long-term period, WEMPOWER focuses to promote women’ economic development empowerment in Kosovo, supporting the implementation of the National Program for Gender Equality and the National Action Plan for Education. To do that, the initiative has the specific objective of increasing female employment in ECE services by achieving three results (R): ▪ R1: strengthening the university professional training of the future generation of ECE workers; ▪ R2: creation of new jobs through the launch of new public ECE facilities; ▪ R3: support of female entrepreneurs for the start-ups and the expansion of private ECE services. By doing so, the intervention supports public and private actors in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, with reference to SDGs 5 and 8. At the same time, it supports Kosovo's path towards the EU, of which the education system reform represents a fundamental part (goal 4). WEMPOWER directly supports the following target groups: ▪ Staff and students of the Degree Course in Early Childhood Education Sciences of the University of Pristina (R1). ▪ Staff, children, and families of 8 new public ECE facilities, managed by the Kosovar public authorities (R2). ▪ Micro-small women-led businesses operating in ECE services, and children and families attending them (R3). With the aim of amplifying the socio-economic impact in the partner country, WEMPOWER has a three-year duration and a national dimension. In addition to the prioritization of the empowerment of women (Principal Objective) and childhood (Significant Objective), the initiative gives specific attention to the disability and digital transformation issues through specific professional training and financial investment. WEMPOWER partnership represents the real added value. In fact, in addition to Volontari nel Mondo RTM (leader), Italian NGO operating in Kosovo for 25 years, it is structured as follows: ▪ Italian partners: University of Modena-Reggio Emilia - Education & Human Sciences Dept. (R1), Agency for Preschools & Infant-toddler Centres - Municipality of Reggio Emilia (R2), Panta Rei Social Enterprise (R3). ▪ Kosovar partners: University of Pristina - Faculty of Education (UNIPRISTINA-FEDU, R1), Ministry of Education, Sciences, Technology and Innovation (MESTI, R2), Childproof NGO (CIPOF, R3). The development of a quality partnership is structured around 4 pillars: (1) direct involvement of Italian excellence from the academic (UNIMORE-DESU), public (ISNI-RE) and private (PANTA REI) fields, already part of the "Italian System" present in Kosovo; (2) enhancement of positive partnership experiences with qualified Kosovar actors (UNIPRISTINA-FEDU, MESTI), developed within the framework of recent initiatives in the Partner country; (3) identification of both Italian and Kosovar partner for each Result, with the goal of encouraging a clear division of roles and initiating a long-term cooperation between peer entities; (4) inclusion of a Kosovar CSO (CIPOF) which can facilitate the involvement of other local CSOs given its strategic positioning in national thematic networks read more close

Year	Committed	Used
2025	€ 1,710,000	€ 1,197,000

Agency

Type	Name	Channel code
Government	AICS - Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development	11000

Channel reported

Type	Name	Channel code
National NGO	REGGIO TERZO MONDO ONLUS ONG	22000

Project data

IATI IdentifierXM-DAC-6-4-013244-03-5
AID013244/03/5
CRS Activity identifier2025040203
Planned start 2025/05/01
Planned End 2028/04/30
Actual start 2025/08/01
Actual end -
Bi/Multilateral Bilateral
Status Implementation
Tied status Tied

Sectors

Policy markers

Gender Equality principal objective
Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) not targeted
Disability not targeted
Nutrition not targeted
Aid to Environment not targeted
Participatory Development/Good Governance not targeted
Trade Development not targeted
Aid Targeting the Objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity not targeted
Aid Targeting the Objectives of the Framework Convention on Climate Change - Mitigation not targeted
Aid Targeting the Objectives of the Framework Convention on Climate Change - Adaptation not targeted
Aid Targeting the Objectives of the Convention to Combat Desertification not targeted
Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) not targeted

SDGs

4.2 - By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
4.5 - By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations
5.4 - Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
5.5 - Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
8.5 - By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
8.6 - By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training