Prishtina, 27.02.2017 – The second generation of participants in Women Online Work Project graduated, while it’s third stage was launched. It will be implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development in Cooperation with the USAID, will be performed in Prishtina and Gjilan municipalities.

The certificate award ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Besa Zogaj-Gashi, US Ambassador in Prishtina, Greg Delawie. The World Bank Manager for Kosovo, Marco Mantovanelli and representatives of other local and international institutions.

In this occasion, Prime Minister Mustafa emphasized that Information and Communication Technology plays a special role in economic development of the country, in a competitive economy, in the economy of knowledge and innovation.

“I want to congratulate the Ministry of Economic Development for its efforts in successful development of this project of Women Online Work, evidently this program managed to employ a considerable number of women in an open and competitive process which is first and foremost based in knowledge and competition”, he said, by adding that this is window of employment open to women and girls.

The Deputy Minister Besa Zogaj in her part, indicated that both initial stages of the pilot project, implemented in Gjakova, Lipjan and Prishtina and the surrounding areas, resulted with over 271 online work contracts, awarded to around 80 women, most of which in: web-development, web research, digital marketing, digital virtual assistant, data entry etc.

“Currently, some girls who graduated in WOW training are generating income that is higher than the average salary in the country, with a flexible schedule and less working hours daily. These women contracted work as freelancers in more than 35 countries of the world and three continents. We now have two startup companies that emerged from the WOW Project, said Zogaj-Gashi.

She further emphasized that this project would not be as successful without the great support of Minister Stavileci, World Bank, USAID and Danish CodersTrust (CT), while its fourth stage will be supported by HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation.

The US Ambassador, Greg Delawie said that this day is not the end, this is only the beginning. “We have very good results with the MED. This program opens new ways of study and development in Kosovo. This brings a true change in development of the society”. Said Delawie.

The World Bank Manager for Kosovo, Marco Mantovnelli, said that we can bring different aspects of employment in one program, and assessed that participants of this program will enter the market of opportunities, which is not an easy one.

Mantovanelli said that the WB, will continue its partnership with the MED in this project as well as in other projects of the Government.

Otherwise after a successful completion of the training, 67 participants graduated in the second stage of WOW, whereas in the third stage, this project will be implemented in Prishtina and Gjilan municipalities where beneficiaries will be 110 women.