I have recently returned from a 5 month internship in Kosovo working mainly on women's rights and gender mainstreaming. I have met some extraordinary people from my landlady and her family, to my empowering local colleagues. Each Kosovar has a story to tell. Whether they lost a loved one during the conflict 20 years ago or not, everyone was affected. Some were displaced, others were raped. Active conflict may have ended but the repercussions of the war are still present and a burden for many Kosovars.

It has the youngest population in Europe with the average age being 25 years old. Yet the youth unemployment rate is of 55%.

1,600 people are still missing from the war in 1999.

The 9 women's shelters in Kosovo risk closure every year due to insufficient governmental funds.

30% of the population in Kosovo fall below the poverty line.

Post-conflict reconstruction and development is hard both logistically and emotionally but one thing I am certain of is that the people of Kosovo are driven, inspiring, resilient and generous. They deserve not to be forgotten. So I am running 21k on May 19th to raise some money for the charity called Manchester Aid to Kosovo which is helping with Kosovo's recovery and development by:
Providing opportunities for young people and adults in Kosovo to learn new skills.

Providing resources and developing programmes to address emerging needs.

Developing partnerships with organizations in the UK and Kosovo with similar objectives.