The Listening Project - Field Visit Report Kosovo

The Listening Project in Kosovo involved a 10-day field effort in June/July of 2007. CARE International, Catholic Relief Services, Danish Refugee Council, Mercy Corps, Movimiento por la Paz el Desarme y la Libertad (MPDL), and Partners Kosova collaborated with CDA in arranging for, and carrying out, the field work. Each of these agencies provided staff, funds, and other in-kind support (logistical support, transportation, hospitality, etc.) to the effort, and CDA sent 4 representatives to facilitate this listening exercise with the 21 staff of participating agencies and translators.

Seven teams of “listeners,” composed of Kosovar and international staff from the different aid agencies, international facilitators, and local translators, focused on the regions of Prishtine¨/ Pristina, Mitrovice¨/ Mitrovica, Gnjilane/Gjilan, Peja/Pec and Prizren. Within these areas, the listening teams visited communities in almost all 30 municipalities and held more than 190 conversations of varying length and depth with approximately 300 people. The teams tried to gather as wide a range of perspectives as possible and thus spoke to a variety of people from different walks of life (e.g. farmers, housewives, government officials, policy makers, civil society representatives, business people, teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc.). The listening teams also listened to people from all ethnic groups in each location when possible, and talked to a variety of people which included older people and youth, and people in urban and rural areas.