Our first visit to Kosovo

On visiting a few of the schools of the ladies who participated in the workshop, I was taken aback by the level of poverty the two communities were in. Some shacks were very small, dark and had very little evidence of a school or place for children to play and learn.

The children were all asleep and the adults were watching over them. In one of the more established shacks the Ubomi team had put in a concrete floor as well as proper windows and doors. This school had a kitchen where all of the Ubomi schools would come and collect food for the children. There were little children as young as three years old, wondering about on their own with no adult supervision and who did not attend any of the schools. These children would come every day to the kitchen to have a plate of food. They sat at a child size plastic table and chairs and ate.

We walked into the school, it was quiet with the children sleeping. We were warmly greeted by Lungi, one of the ladies who attended the workshop. In one of the rooms were shelves and on the shelves were some Practical Life activities. It was heart warming to see the implementation. We left with a clearer understanding of the Ubomi vision to uplift the community and our own idea to nurture the spirit of learning in Kosovo.

Aisha Mohamed (ELF Montessori Facilitator)

October 2012