1

In this issue

Kosova Diaspora Fund P.3

Albanian American Popula-

tion Statistics P.4

Alumna in Action P.7

Photos from WLP P.9

Summer 2013 Newsletter

Upcoming Events

NAAC Annual Dinner,

September 27

Hope Fellowship In-

Country Training (KLP),

September

Hope Fellowship Wash-

ington Leadership Pro-

gram (WLP), October

National Albanian American Council

Connect With Us

Good Governance Hope Fellows Participate in Summer 2013 Washington Leadership Program

NAAC Board Meets with Macedonian Officials

The Hope Fellowship’s Washington Lead-

ership Program strengthens women’s leader-

ship competencies in Kosovo through model-

ing the principles of leaders, learners and

creators. A group of 8 emerging Kosovar

women leaders, who focus on good govern-

ance, arrived in Washington D.C. on June 2,

and went through 4 intensive weeks of train-

ings, speakers, meetings, and presentations.

By the end of the 4 weeks, the Fellows had a

better understanding of how democracy

functions, and learned best practices from

various examples in the United States.

Gay Gooen, an expert in the field, con-

tinually conducted proposal development

trainings with the fellows. KNP Communica-

tions, along with Leslie Kingsley, helped the

fellows give compelling presentations and

improve their public speaking overall. In ad-

dition to improving their project proposals, Ilir

Zherka came to teach the fellows how the

American political system works and func-

tions.

By Wendy Papakostandini, NAAC-HF Program Intern

On June 11th, NAAC board members

met with the Macedonian Minister of For-

eign Affairs to discuss regional issues, in-

cluding the exclusion of Kosova’s Presi-

dent, Atifete Jahjaga, from the South East

European Cooperation Process (SEECP)

Summit, which was ultimately cancelled.

NAAC issued a press release on May 28th,

condemning the actions.

The press release, titled “NAAC Con-

demns Macedonia for Not Inviting Kosova

to Attend SEECP Summit” was sent to the

NAAC listserv. It read:

“The National Albanian American Council

(NAAC) strongly condemns the Govern-

ments of Serbia and Bosnia for colluding

against inviting Kosova President Atifete

Jahjaga to attend the South East European

Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit,

From left, Zulfi Ismaili, UN official, Nikola Poposki, Macedonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Zoran Jolevski, Ambassador of Macedonia, and NAAC members Benjamin Rusi, Enver Maliqi, Ilir Rusi, Martin Shkreli (Chairman), Harry Bajraktari and Dino Erbeli

Continued on Page 5

Continued on Page 2

2013 Good Governance Hope Fellows meet with long-time HF program supporter Congressman Earl Pomeroy

2

Honorary Co-Chairs The Honorable Eliot Engel The Honorable Peter King The Honorable Mark Kirk Honorary Board Honorable Anthony Athanas R.I.P. Honorable Bret A. Clesi Thomas Christo, Esq. Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Sami Repishti Ambassador William Ryerson Mr. Ekrem Bardha Bardhyl R. Tirana, Esq. Ambassador William Walker Executive Officers Martin N. Shkreli, Chairman Ilir Rusi, Vice-Chairman Nino Pjetri, Treasurer/Secretary Board of Trustees Harry Bajraktari Fadil Berisha Paul Kolaj Halil Mula Jerry Rexha Washington, D.C. Team Avni Mustafaj, Executive Director David Scotton, Senior Advisor Amelda Beluli, Program Manager Allegra Panetto, Program Assistant Wendy Papakostandini, Program Intern Prishtina Team Laura Kryeziu, Program Manager Myesere Hoxha-Lamaxhema, Senior Program Officer Shqipe Breznica, Program Officer Ardiana Maraj, Program Assistant

Summer 2013 Newsletter

Croatia's Accession into the EU - USIP On July 1, 2013, the Republic of Croa-

tia became the 28th member of the Euro-

pean Union. It is only the second country

formed from the dissolution of Yugoslavia

to become an EU member state, and the

first to emerge from protracted conflict.

Croatia undertook successful political and

economic reforms, and it was poised to

take its place among the family of Euro-

pean nations.

To mark the special occasion, the U.S.

Institute of Peace (USIP) organized a

panel discussion on what it took to

achieve this milestone, the way forward,

and implications for the region. The panel

included Jonathan Moore from U.S. De-

partment of State, and the Croatian Am-

bassador to the U.S., Joško Paro, among

others.

Avni Mustafaj, Executive Director NAAC talks to Jonathan Moore, acting Deputy Assistant Sec-retary of State Department.

NAAC Board Meets with Macedonian Officials

in Macedonia; and equally condemns the

Government of Macedonia for acquiescing

to the pressure by not extending the invita-

tion as the host country. Additionally, Ser-

bia's behavior is in direct violation of the

recent agreement with Kosova to not block

its process towards EU integration.

The SEECP was formed as an institu-

tion for regional cooperation. However, in

order for this organization to have any

meaningful impact then it must adopt the

principle that when one is excluded, then

all are excluded. NAAC congratulates the

Government of Albania for refusing to at-

tend the Summit since Kosova was not

extended an invitation.

Macedonia's President Ivanov stated

that President Jahjaga was not invited be-

cause ‘certain countries would cancel their

participation as a result of that step.’ Re-

grettably, President Ivanov missed an op-

portunity to demonstrate leadership, the

spirit of regional cooperation and a com-

mitment to European values.”

Continued from Page 1

NAAC-HF Intern Wendy Papakostandini

Wendy is origi-nally from Tirana, Albania but has lived the greater part of her life in Boston and in Montreal. She just graduated with a B.A. joint honors with distinction in Political Science

and Sociology from McGill University in Montreal. She is interested in pursuing either a law or masters degree next year in a field related to human rights. She is currently trying to publish her honors thesis paper, on human trafficking in Albania and Kos-ovo, and she’s really happy to be intern-ing at NAAC!

3

Kosova’s Religious Tolerance Week

Contact Information National Albanian American Council (NAAC) 1133 20th Street, NW Suite 210 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: (202) 466 - 6900 Fax: (202) 466 - 5593 NAAC Hope Fellowship Office — Prishtina Sejdi Kryeziu No 5 Pejton Place Prishtina, Kosova Tel: +381-38-609-220

About NAAC NAAC is a not-for-profit organi-zation dedicated to advocating for Albanians and promoting peace and economic develop-ment in the Balkans by foster-ing democratic policy, promot-ing respect for human rights, and conducting educational and developmental programs.

NAAC Attends Kosovo Diaspora Fund Meeting

Summer 2013 Newsletter

With the aim to encourage and spur

investment in Kosova, the Kosovo Dias-

pora Fund held a dinner on June 8 in New

York City with various members and stake-

holders from the community, including

NAAC Executive Director Avni Mustafaj.

More specifically, the group discussed the

Diaspora Investment Fund for Private Eq-

uity Investments and Municipal PPPs and

recommendations from the “Facilitating

and Incentivizing Diaspora Investment in

Kosovo” report.

The Kosovo Diaspora Fund, with help

from UNDP (United Nations Development

Program) and IOM (International Organi-

zation for Migration) aims to be the instru-

ment for fueling investment in Kosova

through building confidence for outside

investors, directing Diaspora remittances

toward investments and creating opportu-

nities for both small and large investors to

help develop Kosova’s economy.

The report identifies a number of solu-

tions that would facilitate and incentivize

Diaspora investments at the municipal

level in Kosova, including but not limited to

diversifying investments in private equity,

public-private partnership projects and

government bonds for public projects. The

Fund will also conduct a research project

to address some of the report’s proposed

solutions.

As a follow-up to the meeting, Avni

Mustafaj met with Kosovo Diaspora Fund

representative Albina Makolli to discuss

ways in which the Albanian and Kosovar-

American communities can help the

Fund’s research and initiatives.

To read the “Facilitating and Incentiviz-

ing Diaspora Investment in Kosovo” report

in full, please click here.

Image from the “Facilitating and Incentivizing Diaspora In-vestment in Kosovo” report, which was written by Ardiana Gashi, Arjan Shabani and Artane Rizvanolli as part of DEED (Diaspora Engagement in Economic Development)

In May, NAAC Executive Director Avni Mustafaj was in-

vited by the Government of Kosova to attend “Tolerance

Week,” a series of events and activities to promote religious

tolerance. The goal of the conference was to contribute to a

wider global inter-faith dialogue; and to contribute to recon-

ciliation within Kosova and the wider Balkan region by dem-

onstrating that faith can act as an unifying rather than divid-

ing force. The invited participants were religious leaders

and scholars, students, academics from around the globe.

In Prishtina, there was a ceremony for the placing of a

headstone commemorating the unique courage and dignity

Albanians displayed in risking their lives to save not only

Jewish people who lived in Albanian territories, but also

those escaping the Nazi’s from other countries. A Prayer

Breakfast brought together religious leaders, politicians and

members of civil society to join together in prayer and com-

mit to creating a better and more tolerant world.

In Peja, a 3 day conference was held on “Faith and Rec-

onciliation, What is the Future of Interfaith Dialogue?” The

concept of the conference was based on the British charity

“Soul of Europe”, established in 2000 to help realize Nelson

Mandela’s words: “You don’t make peace by talking to your

friends; you have to make peace with your enemies.” The

overarching message was that religious tolerance and re-

spect for others, is universal among all religions.

Perhaps the most poignant moment which epitomizes

the Albanian spirit of religious tolerance occurred while a

Jewish Rabbi recited a prayer during the headstone cere-

mony, and an Imam could be heard in the background call-

ing for prayer by Muslims, while in the backdrop, a Roman

Catholic Cathedral was being constructed. “I think that

many from the international community came to Kosova to

promote religious tolerance, but at the end of the week

came to realize that Albanians are a model for religious tol-

erance” said Avni Mustafaj.

4

Albanian American Population Statistics

Summer 2013 Newsletter

Subject

United States

Albanian (100)

Estimate Margin of Error

TOTAL POPULATION 195,529 +/-14,546

SEX AND AGE

Male 51.7% +/-1.6

Female 48.3% +/-1.6

Under 5 years 7.6% +/-1.1

5 to 17 years 19.3% +/-1.6

18 to 24 years 10.3% +/-1.3

25 to 34 years 16.2% +/-1.4

35 to 44 years 16.0% +/-1.7

45 to 54 years 13.8% +/-1.1

55 to 64 years 8.5% +/-1.3

65 to 74 years 4.5% +/-0.9

75 years and over 3.7% +/-0.7

Median age (years) 32.5 +/-1.1

18 years and over 73.1% +/-1.8

21 years and over 68.8% +/-1.7

62 years and over 10.6% +/-1.3

65 years and over 8.2% +/-1.0

Under 18 years 52,687 +/-5,929 HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE

Households 56,326 +/-4,841

Family households 80.9% +/-2.7

With own children under 18 years 46.2% +/-4.0

Married-couple family 67.0% +/-3.2

With own children under 18 years 39.5% +/-3.8

Female householder, no husband present, family 8.9% +/-2.1

With own children under 18 years 4.4% +/-1.4

Nonfamily households 19.1% +/-2.7

Male householder 8.5% +/-1.8

Living alone 7.2% +/-1.7

Not living alone 1.3% +/-0.8

Female householder 10.6% +/-2.3

Living alone 8.4% +/-1.9

Not living alone 2.2% +/-1.2 PLACE OF BIRTH, CITIZENSHIP STATUS

Native 80,685 +/-7,405

Foreign born 114,844 +/-10,135

Foreign born; naturalized U.S. citizen 71,574 +/-7,782

Foreign born; not a U.S. citizen 43,270 +/-5,802

Data Reported in 2011 by the U.S. Census Bureau

5

The NAAC Hope Fellowship Program is created and admin-istered by the National Alba-nian American Council and sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Contact Information

NAAC Hope Fellowship Office Washington, D.C. 1133 20th Street, NW Suite 210 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: (202) 466 - 6900 Fax: (202) 466 - 5593 NAAC Hope Fellowship Office Prishtina Sejdi Kryeziu No 5 Pejton Place Prishtina, Kosova Tel: +381-38-609-220 Fax: +381-38-609-220

About Hope Fellowships

Connect With Us

Summer 2013 WLP Hope Fellows Continued from Page 1

Summer 2013 Newsletter

Building on his presentation, the fellows

were then placed at a professional devel-

opment site related to their expertise, in

order to see firsthand how organizations

operate in the U.S. The fellows were

placed under the guidance of a mentor in

top organizations, think tanks or govern-

ment, including the Center for European

Policy Analysis, the Public International

Law and Policy Group, Institute for

Women’s Policy Research, National Con-

ference on Citizenship, U.S. Census Bu-

reau, Council for a Community of Democ-

racies, and the U.S. House of Representa-

tives. At their sites, the fellows were given

advice on how to successfully design and

implement their individual projects.

To enhance their abilities to enact and

promote democracy and good governance

in Kosovo, speakers were invited to ad-

dress the fellows on an array of topics,

ranging from the current situation in Kos-

ovo to how to succeed as a woman in to-

day’s society. Speakers included Søren

Jessen-Petersen, Charlotte M. Ponticelli

and Dr. Allida Black.

Additionally, meetings were set up be-

tween the fellows and various organiza-

tions that support democratic ideals and

good governance, as well as leaders who

have worked directly with Kosovo. Some

of the prominent leaders the group met

with include Prime Minister of Kosovo,

Hashim Thaci; Kosovo’s ambassador,

Akan Ismaili; as well as Albania’s ambas-

sador, Gilbert Galanxhi. Congressman

Earl Pomeroy and Congressman Jim

McDermott, along with high level officials

in the U.S. Department of State and the

EU Delegation to the U.S. also met with

the fellows. On the same note, the fellows

met with organizations that have projects

or interest in working in Kosovo like the

World Bank, Global Women’s Leadership

Initiative, National Endowment for Democ-

racy, USAID, German Marshall Fund,

United States Institute of Peace and Inter-

national Foundation for Electoral Systems.

For many fellows, the highlight of the

program was the Congressional Shadow

Day, where each fellow had the opportu-

nity to shadow a Member of the House of

Representatives for the day. This gave the

fellows the opportunity to see firsthand

how democracy works in the United

States. The fellows were given a chance to

attend meetings with congressional staff,

gaining an insider’s perspective on how

laws are drafted in the United States. They

had the opportunity to watch debates on

the House floor, and give the lawmakers

an update on the status of Kosovo’s posi-

tive developments.

After their trainings on communications

and public speaking, the fellows had the

opportunity to put the skills they learned

into practice at three of the country’s most

prominent think tanks: the Heritage Foun-

dation, the Wilson Center, and the Na-

tional Democratic Institute. At these or-

ganizations, the Hope Fellows presented

on various issues, including the status of

Kosovo as an emerging economy,

women’s role in lawmaking in Kosovo, and

women’s involvement in Kosovo’s upcom-

ing local elections.

“For many fellows, the highlight of the program was the Congressional Shadow Day, where each fellow had the opportunity to shadow a Member of the House of Representatives for the day.”

Continued on Page 6

6

“Now we will go back to our homes and jobs and our lives; we will join the rest of the Hope Fellow sisters having just one thing in our mind: to use all this experience, deter-mination and motivation to implement successfully all our projects and bring about the change and make our communities better.”

-Shqipe Kurti

Hope Fellow - 2013

Good Governance

To read the full text of Shqipe’s

speech, please click here

Alumnae in Action: Report on Civil Society and the Media

Summer 2013 Newsletter

One of the core components of the

program is teaching the fellows how to

develop and successfully implement their

projects. While in Washington, D.C.,

each fellow was exposed to trainings,

meetings, and environments that continu-

ally shaped and reshaped their projects.

At the end of the month, the fellows pre-

sented their finalized project proposals to

members of NAAC, their peers and men-

tors, and now will begin implementing

their proposals upon return to Kosovo.

The program culminated with a

graduation ceremony, attended by many

of the fellows’ mentors and professionals

they met throughout the program. Con-

gressman Earl Pomeroy and Congress-

man Jim McDermott gave speeches,

along with Kosovo’s ambassador, Akan

Ismaili and Patricia Rader, Senior Deputy

Assistant Administrator, USAID. In addi-

tion, Hope Fellow alumna Blerta Sulhasi

spoke about the successful implementa-

tion of her current project in Kosovo and

how the Hope Fellowship contributed to

her accomplishments. Hope Fellow

Shqipe Kurti was selected by the recent

group to speak on behalf of the women

on how the program has broadened their

horizons and shaped their professional as

well as personal skills and mindsets. After

the ceremony, the honored guests and

graduating fellows commemorated the

completion of the program, and the tre-

mendous work they have done in advanc-

ing their professional skills at a reception.

NAAC would like to thank all the con-

gressional leaders, speakers, experts,

organizations, mentors and friends of

NAAC who graciously opened their doors

and arms to the Hope Fellows throughout

the month; we greatly appreciate their

continual and unwavering support in em-

powering the women of Kosovo. NAAC is

especially proud of the Hope Fellows’ in-

dividual growth, and is looking forward to

seeing what this amazing group of

women can give to Kosovo.

Summer 2013 WLP Hope Fellows Continued from Page 5

Two Hope Fellow Alumnae from the

D i p l o m a c y a n d D e m o c r a c y

Group, Brikenda Rexhepi and Ardita

Metaj–Dika, played a large role in a new

report that came out this past May on

the relations between the media and civil

society organizations in Kosovo.

The report found that civil society or-

ganizations tend to be featured in the media in small

amounts, the general pattern being roughly once every two

months. Civil society representatives attributed this to the

bias media displays in covering political news and scan-

dals. Through careful monitoring of the media, they found

that the civil society organizations in Kosovo tend to have a

greater media presence after a political or economic event.

The report found that in order to have a presence in the

Kosovo media, civil society organizations must not provide

“pale” information; instead, the material must grab the me-

dia’s attention and relate to current issues in Kosovo. The

study found that, taken as a whole, civil

society organizations must improve their

practices to reach a greater audience.

They found a large need to foster better

communication between these two sec-

tors.

Brikenda Rexhepi, currently a Com-

munication Specialist and Assistant-

Editor-in-Chief for Koha Ditore, attributes a part of her suc-

cess to the Hope Fellowship. “We all came back with new

ideas, richer experiences and wider perspectives,” she re-

marks, “[t]his experience directly reflects the developments

toward making our country better.” Ardita Metaj-Dika, Resi-

dent Advisor at TACSO Kosovo, shares similar senti-

ments. She considers the Hope Fellowship program as a

life-changing experience. “The Fellowship program offered

a fantastic opportunity for me to experience first-hand the

US political system,” she says.

Brikenda Rexhepi Ardita Metaj-Dika

7

The NAAC Hope Fellowship Program is created and admin-istered by the National Alba-nian American Council and sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Alumna in Action: Kosovo’s Mental Health Month

“I challenge each of you

current Hope Fellows,

that upon your return to

Kosova, you do not let

the cynicism or the diffi-

culties you are certain to

face prevent you from

attempting to make the

most of your Fellowship.

Envision the change you

want for Kosova. Do not

wait for conditions to be

perfect. Passionately

push your colleagues

and partners to dedicate

themselves to the vision

of positive change you

see for Kosova.”

-Blerta Sulhasi

Hope Fellow - 2011

Health & Social Welfare

To read Blerta’s speech at the

2013 HF graduation, please

click here

Summer 2013 Newsletter

Psychological Services Program in

Schools, established by Blerta Sulhasi, a

Hope Fellow from the Health and Social

Welfare group, initiated an awareness

raising campaign on the importance of

mental health in Kosovo this past May.

The campaign aimed for greater public

awareness concerning mental health

issues. The campaign focused largely on

educating Kosovo citizens about the mis-

perception of mental health problems in

Kosovo. By establishing the groundwork

for greater understanding and aware-

ness of mental health, the campaign

hopes to reduce the stigma around this

issue present in Kosovo today.

The theme of the campaign was

“road to welfare” and the campaign was

active throughout the month of May, of-

ten considered as Mental Health Month.

The campaign took a number of steps

to increase mental health awareness in

Kosovo. Advocates for the cause were

continually present in the media through-

out the month of May, helping bring

these issues to light to a larger audience.

The campaign also conducted trainings

and lectures in informal settings led by

experts in the mental health field. There

was also a call to action for policy mak-

ers in the country to create an effective

national strategy on mental health and

not to sweep the problem under the rug.

Mental Health Month ended with a

meeting on raising awareness about

mental health. This was one of the focal

points of the campaign. Blerta Sulhasi

met with Local Members of the Gjakova

Assembly to include the role of psycholo-

gists in schools on their agenda. The

meeting was open to the public and the

discussion was lively and vibrant.

Additionally, Blerta wrote an article

about the Mental Health Month cam-

paign for the American Psychological

Association. To read the article, please

click here.

“In Kosovo, there is an urgent need to promote and improve mental health care programming, including treatment and aware-ness programs. Yet, Kosovars largely ignore or neglect mental health issues. People with mental health needs not only fail to deal with their symptoms, but they live in isolation and feel stigmatized. During this month, we tried to talk openly as a community about mental health with hopes that this would make it easier for people in need to seek out services.” -Blerta Sulhasi Hope Fellow, Fall 2011, Health and Social Welfare

8

Alumna in Action: Alumni Network Committees

Summer 2013 Newsletter

Burbuqe Grajçevci, a Hope Fellow

from the Education group currently works

as Human Resources Manager for the

Microfinance Institution known as The

Rural Finance Project. Her leadership ini-

tiative was to establish an association for

human resources. She

successfully completed

her project in May 2012.

Today, Burbuqe is ac-

tively engaged in the

Hope Fellowship net-

work, by participating in and contributing

to 2 network committees, the Economy

Network Committee and Health and Edu-

cation Network Committee.

Burbuqe became interested in the

Hope Fellowship Program because of the

program’s emphasis on women’s empow-

erment, developing leaders, learners and

creators. “Through the HF Program, one

shapes an idea or several ideas into a

real project by getting expert advice and

practical experience. The process itself is

appealing; meeting a group of ambitious

women, exchanging ideas and experi-

ences, experiencing the US culture and

working environment, creating new

friends, networks, opportunities. I cherish

the experience gained and the profes-

sional growth this program [has] left me

with.”

When asked why she serves as an HF

alumni/volunteer, Burbuqe states: “As

Winston Churchill said ‘You make a living

by what you get. You make a life by what

you give.’ The motto of the Hope Fellow-

ship Program ‘to give back’ has triggered

me to volunteer together with other HF

Alumni hoping to serve the society in dif-

ferent needs. It gives me great satisfac-

tion knowing that what I enjoy doing in my

spare time as a volunteer makes another

person’s life better in any way.”

The Economic Committee is hoping to

develop a gender mainstreaming policy

with the feedback provided from several

weekly morning meetings of representa-

tives from different public and private in-

stitutions, alongside NGOs and individu-

als. “I moderated the second meeting re-

lated to the glass ceiling and hiring of

women in the nation, which presented

concerns from human resource profes-

sionals, as well as employed and unem-

ployed women in Kosovo,” says Burbuqe.

Meanwhile, the Education and Health

Committee is focusing its efforts in the

prevention and struggle against breast

cancer by reporting on the present level

of awareness in Kosovo. The data gath-

ered will be followed by a report, an

awareness campaign and a round table

meeting to discuss further steps.

“There are empowered women out

there, who challenge the mentality and

prejudices; the number of them is grow-

ing, same as the number of emancipated

men who support women in their strug-

gles. I believe this is not a struggle with

men; this is our own struggle, a struggle

for equal rights and equal opportunities,”

Burbuqe reflects. “Access to education,

employment, the right to inherit property

and other rights should not be a privilege,

but a human right to improve women’s

positions in Kosovo”.

“Initiatives make a real dif-ference in the life of people and increase citizens’ par-ticipation.” -Burbuqe Grajçevci Hope Fellow, 2010 Education

“When it seems like so-

ciety is focused on get-

ting more, spending

more and achieving

more, it helps to think

about the importance of

volunteerism. It can get

us to think beyond our-

selves and focus also on

the needs of others...I

am sure that with each

other’s experiences and

expertise we can make

noticeable progress as

we have envisioned it for

the best of our society.”

-Shqipe Hajredini

Chair, Good Governance

Network Committee

Hope Fellow, Spring

2011

In May, KLP participants attended an Acess to EU Funds training, provided by HF Alumna Ardita Metaj-Dika. By providing this training, Ardita dem-onstrated the HF “giving back” model, a core pro-gram value. To view pho-tos from the training, please click here.

9

Photos from Washington Leadership Program

Photos by HF Staff

For more photos from the WLP, please click here

Summer 2013 Newsletter

10

Photos from Washington Leadership Program

For more photos from the WLP, please click here

Summer 2013 Newsletter

11

Want to share an idea, story or photos for inclusion in the next NAAC/Hope Fellowship Newsletter? Please email Allegra Panetto at apanetto@naac.org

Quotes from Summer 2013 Washington Leadership Program

“The Hope Fellowship Program in Washington DC was a wonderful experience in my life. Par-

ticipation in the program for Leadership and Good Governance has enabled me to create a

project that will empower women in Kosovo. I returned home with many ideas and new energy

to contribute to our society, to strengthen the position of women in decision-making and the de-

mocratization of society. I appreciated networking with U.S. professionals, and we will be in

touch to collaborate on related projects, especially in leadership and women’s empowerment.

Thank you, NAAC, for giving us the possibility to gain new knowledge, and create projects

which will contribute to our society moving forward to a more rapid development.”

Teuta Musa

Secretary General, Women’s Forum, Democratic League of Kosovo Hope Fellow, Good Governance, Summer 2013

Summer 2013 Newsletter

"Being a Hope Fellow is just an amazing experience. The US is a unique and great country —

culturally very rich, politically very stable, economically very strong. People have quality of life

and a safe place to live. This is because of the hard work, diligence and love each and every

American has for their country, no matter if he or she is a politician, journalist, teacher or simply

an American citizen.

I’m aware that I will not be able to transfer all the great experiences I had while attending

the Hope Fellowship program, but while trying to implement the “civic in action project” which I

developed while I was staying in US, I will tell Kosovars that only hard work and high encour-

agement for change will give us hope to build the future of our country."

Doruntina Ukimeri Task Manager, Cross Border Cooperation Program, Ministry of Local Government

Co-Founder and Member, ‘N’GO Hope Fellow, Good Governance, Summer 2013