In Kosovo, not everyone has the same opportunity to seek help. For many women and girls with disabilities, as well as single mothers of children with disabilities, support services are often difficult to access due to mobility challenges, limited information, distance from institutions and insufficient access to specialised services. As a result, many women remain isolated from the support mechanisms intended to protect their rights and well-being.

In many families in Kosovo, women and girls with disabilities, as well as single mothers of children with disabilities, face gender-based violence, discrimination, poverty and lack of access to basic services on a daily basis. For many of them, institutions are distant, both physically and emotionally.

It is in this very reality that a 3-year initiative funded by the European Union has intervened. The “My Story, my Dignity” project, carried out from 2023 to the end of 2025, has worked with women and girls with disabilities and single mothers of children with disabilities who have survived violence or faced ongoing discrimination. The project helped 193 beneficiaries, strengthening their access to rights, services, and opportunities. Among them were 40 single mothers and 149 women and girls with disabilities from diverse communities, including Kosovo Albanian, Serb, and Roma women.

Funded by the European Union, the project was implemented by the Association of Paraplegics and Children with Paralysis – HANDIKOS Gjilan/Gnjilane, in partnership with Inkluzioni, Handikos Ranilug/Ranillug Association of Disabled Persons , and the Center for Innovation and Development.

According to Blerta Bajrami, a social worker at HANDIKOS Gjilan/Gnjilane, a key project component has been the mobile clinic, which has brought services directly to beneficiaries: social, psychological and legal support, nursing services, medicines and transport for medical check-ups.

“We have worked with people in extremely difficult socio-economic conditions,” Bajrami explains. “Many beneficiaries used to spend almost all their income on medicines. The project has covered the costs for medicines, and this has made their lives easier.”

One of the women who benefited from this project is Hanumshahe Pajaziti from Gjilan/Gnjilane, a mother of three, one of whom has disabilities. “I used to spend around 140 euros per month just on my daughter’s medications,” she says. “The day they told me I would receive the medication for free, was one of the happiest for me.”

Beyond material assistance, the project has also helped women learn about their legal rights and gain access to free psychological services, which would have been inaccessible for many of them.

The project also resulted in the My Story, My Dignity publication. Authored by Shqipe Pajaziti, the book is a collection of ten personal testimonies from women and girls with disabilities and single mothers. The stories offer an intimate portrayal of lives often left unheard, while highlighting the dignity and strength of the women behind them.

At its core, “My Story, my Dignity” has built a simple yet vital model: to bring services to those who cannot reach institutions, by offering not only help, but also dignity and a feeling that someone is listening to them.
Beyond addressing immediate challenges, the project contributed to raising public awareness of the barriers that continue to limit the full participation of persons with disabilities in social, economic, and public life.

Through sustained support for inclusion, human rights, and community development, the European Union remains committed to improving the lives of people across Kosovo, reaffirming its position as Kosovo’s strongest and most reliable partner in advancing a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient society.