Back to school this year came with anxiety and concerns as to the safety of sending children to in-person classes.  These concerns, combined with a lack of hygiene materials, made preparing for the school year a challenge for both parents and teachers.  To address these challenges, USAID, in partnership with UNICEF, implemented the “Back to School” initiative this autumn to supply pre-university and primary education institutions with protective kits against the coronavirus.  

At the “Back to School” launch in August, the Kosovo Minister of Education, Rame Likaj, expressed his gratitude for the assistance.  “In times like these, you understand who your real friends are, and we are happy to go through these difficult times and the challenging process of going back to school with friends like UNICEF and USAID,” he said.  To date, USAID and UNICEF have distributed about 10,000 kits containing masks, hand sanitizer, and other hygiene materials to students and teachers across Kosovo.  USAID Kosovo Mission Director, Lisa Magno, stated, “Fighting COVID-19 helps make the return of students to their schools much safer.  We are in this together.”

This assistance is part of a $1.6 million assistance package that USAID provided to Kosovo to increase Kosovo’s response capability and stop further transmission of COVID-19.