14 minutes agoArt and handwork Made in Kosovo
Periskopi(7 years ago)
(7 years ago)It says: Birol Urcan during the 1990s, many factories in Kosovo were closed, and many more were closed after the war. Many other social companies also failed to cope with the market and reduced the number of workers or faced bankruptcy. This resulted in many workers, many of them professionalised, losing [...]
During the 1990s, many factories in Kosovo were closed, and many more closed after the war. Many other social companies also failed to cope with the market and reduced the number of workers or faced bankruptcy. This resulted in many workers, many of them professionalised, losing their jobs and having trouble finding other jobs in new private sector businesses. Ana Sjevic is one of these professionally professionalised and experienced workers who worked for many years at the textile factory and later lost his job. She is known as a good tailoring expert, but has not been able to deal with her favorite profession until late, “I couldn't work or do what I knew best, since I didn't have a professional sewing machine. Another obstacle was that even if I had a car, marketing products is not easy” Sjevitch. Thanks to the project, Anna was able to resume her professional sewing and not only to improve her family's financial situation but also to improve social life. “Of course, it is best to work and have a positive sense of contributing to your family and association. It's much better than staying and not working at all” she says.
Anna and others like her now produce art and high-quality handwork thanks to a unique approach that has created a chain of consistent and sustainable value of art and handwork that is guided by disadvantaged groups and persons with special needs. Construction of the social company Gracanica's space and the purchase of necessary equipment were the first steps the European Union-funded project took. After that, the project provided training for business skills and production of art and hand products for hundreds of people coming from disadvantaged groups.
In its final phase, the project focused on promoting the Social Gracanica Company and improving its performance through the delivery of business consulting services, market connections, fair organisation and B2B events. The Gracanica municipality, influenced by positive achievements, decided to support the creative business environment by building a Business Support Centre near the Social Company. As a result, people with special needs, women and young people in Gracanica now have jobs, and consumers are able to choose artistic works and high-quality hand jobs.
