With Manchester Aid to Kosovo
Project Background: The Peace Park is in Podujeva. Podujeva is located in the north east of Kosovo in the valley of Gallapi and Llapi with a population of 134,000. The Peace Park is a 22 acre park that will be dedicated to the people of Podujeva on the 27th March 2009 in memory of a massacre of many members of the same family in 1999.
Accommodation: In Podujeva there are apartments that Manchester Aid to Kosovo (MAK) use when they are in Kosovo which are arranged by Fazli. These are within ten minutes walking distance from the Peace Park and are very secure. The cost would be around £350 per week and the apartment can house up to ten people (based on people sharing rooms) so this works out at £35 per person. They are clean and well maintained.
Travel: If volunteers want to stay in Pristina (the capital) then there is a frequent bus service that runs all day and costs €1 each way. The travel time is about 40 minutes from bus stop to bus stop then there is a 15 minute walk to the park.
Activities in the projects: The construction of a recreational area and children’s play area and the landscaping of the grounds and the facilities for local artists are still to be constructed. A lot of work has gone into the park but it is still far from being completed. Manual labour would be the main activity in this project: working with the ground staff, building benches, clearing land, planting trees and plants.
Development and future opportunities: The project will be completed within the next 5 – 7 years but there will always need to be upkeep. Once the park is completed MAK will employ a couple of people to maintain the park so this may not be a long-term project.
Possible security and safety concerns: Health and safety of any manual labour. Podujeva is a small town, population 134,000, outside Pristina and is safe and is very ethnically homogeneous (Albanian, 98%), reducing the likelihood of violence. One concern is its proximity to the Serbian border, 15 miles to the north; however, this is heavily policed by the international community.
Last updated: April 26th, 2009