Physical and financial health during COVID-19: Women’s economic empowerment project provides 24,000 much-needed face masks

6 Jul 2020

Physical and financial health during COVID-19: Women’s economic empowerment project provides 24,000 much-needed face masks

The ongoing threat of the global COVID-19 pandemic has caused shortages in personal protective equipment the world over, while economic hardship looms – but an UNMIK-supported project is addressing both issues at the same time.

Over the past month, 54 women and six men from different communities in the Mitrovica region have been working around the clock to sew 24,000 masks that will contribute to the protection of their communities from COVID-19 – with the masks now ready for donation to 4800 of the most vulnerable families in the region.

In addition to the materials to create the 24,000 masks, all sewers, such as Hasime Maloku, were given extra supplies that will enable them to engage in their own business ventures and secure their livelihoods once the donated masks were completed.

“I'm an older woman, and my sons didn’t have salaries during this state of emergency. I have enough material to continue sewing masks [and] I see that people need them,” Maloku said.

Women have been affected disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research, including from Kosovo, shows women are more likely to have work impacted during recessions and take on more caregiving and household duties during health crises.

One project beneficiary Radica Zdravković, a mother-of-three, said she was grateful for the humanitarian project.

“During the state of emergency, I had neither a job nor an income,” she said.

Another beneficiary, Mirjana Lazić, mother of two young children, said she was happy to contribute to the Kosovo-wide efforts to combat COVID-19.

“I am happy because I contributed to the creation of reserves of protective masks. We all witnessed how difficult it was to get a mask when situation with pandemic was the most critical.”

The project was implemented by the Business Centre Zvečan and centre director Jelena Savić said she was “finally happy”.

“All together as a society we can show social responsibility and empower women, in such a difficult situation, to make profit,” she said.

UNMIK has delivered the 24,000 face masks to five municipalities in northern Kosovo, each municipality receiving 4,800 masks, for onward distribution to families in need.

Danilo Rosales Diaz, Head of UNMIK Mitrovica Regional Office and Preston Pentony, Deputy Head of UNMIK Mirtovica Regional Office, delivering the donations to Zubin Potok Mayor Srdjan Vulović

South Mitrovica staff picking up the boxes in MRO HQ, from left to right, Besa Veseli, Municipal Officer for Gender Equality, Mila Isakovska, and  Erzeka Hasanaj Barani, Director of the Health Department.

Javiera Thais Santa Cruz, Gender Advisor to the SRSG, Preston Pentony, Deputy Head of UNMIK Mirtovica Regional Office, and Mila Isakovska, Head of UNMIK North Mitrovica office delivering the donations to Zvečan/Zveçan Mayor Vucina Janković

Javiera Thais Santa Cruz, Gender Advisor to the SRSG, Preston Pentony, Deputy Head of UNMIK Mirtovica Regional Office, and Mila Isakovska, Head of UNMIK North Mitrovica office delivering the donations to Zvečan/Zveçan Mayor Vucina Janković