Mission in Kosovo helps children find the right recipe for understanding financial transparency

On 1 June - which is celebrated as International Children's Day by many nations - Korab and the other members of the children's assembly in Klinë/Klina municipality held a bake sale to raise money to help cover the cost of attending their meetings.

The children's assembly in Klinë/Klina, western Kosovo, is just one of 10 that have been set up in co-operation with their respective municipalities since 2003. Thirteen more are in the making.

The Klinë/Klina assembly consists of a group of some 30 students aged 12-16, who tackle school issues that filter through their principal's complaints box.

Such complaints typically range from low-quality teaching materials to poor attendance by girls. For their first celebration of International Children's Day, however, the members of the assembly decided to address one of their own problems.

Missing the bus

"Whenever we had meetings, there was always somebody missing due to the fact that he or she didn't have the means to pay for travel expenses," says the Klinë/Klina assembly's president, 16 year-old Valeriana Buqani.

"This not only made it difficult for the kids living on the outskirts of town to attend meetings, it also harmed the integrity of the assembly."

Dominique Bush, OSCE Human Rights Officer in Klinë/Klina, agrees: "The kids recognize how important it is for everyone, no matter what their ethnicity, gender, or residence to have equal access to meetings. All the representatives from every school must be present for the assembly to tackle school issues.

"So we thought it would be an excellent exercise for the students to take the initiative and run a project on International Children's Day, and do so in a transparent manner."

Teaching transparency

Transparent practices are just one of the many topics that the Kosovo Mission is helping to teach children of this age through a series of school courses and extra-curricular activities. Other educational projects include the principles of good governance, inter-ethnic tolerance, reconciliation and human rights.

For the International Children's Day bake sale, ingredients and organizational support were provided by the Mission, in partnership with the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the Klinë/Klina municipality.

Korab's cake, a flia (a type of traditional Kosovo pie), sold well at the makeshift stalls set up in front of the cultural centre, as did the other baked goods.

"I think it was a very successful day," says Korab. "I didn't expect to sell all of my flia. Each slice cost 50 cents, so I made 10 euros.

"We managed to collect some money that will be spent on the needs of assembly members. It's a small contribution, but a valuable one."

The lion's share of the bake sale proceeds, which totalled 65 euros, will go to help pay for the children of the assembly to attend its meetings.

"For any other problems or issues affecting our members, we will certainly use this money, but for the time being it's mainly for transport," says Valeriana.

Real value of money

The real value, however, is not in the cash itself, but in the lessons about managing money that events like the bake sale can teach the children of the Klinë/Klina assembly.

They now have a bank account and spending freedom, but must learn how to handle all of this in a forum where decisions must be made in agreement with the assembly members.

To help the children understand their new financial responsibilities, OSCE staff delivered lectures on transparency laws prior to the event. Afterwards, the Mission distributed t-shirts to the children, who marched through the town.

Understanding the free market

"As Kosovo's youth grow up in an increasingly free-market society, it's of the utmost importance for them to understand and appreciate transparent practices," says the Mission's Dominique Bush.

"That's why the OSCE remains committed to initiatives such as the children's assemblies that instil valuable lessons into potential future leaders like Korab."