OSCE-supported “Building Bridges” event in Skopje gathers over 700 students from 30 schools

SKOPJE, 3 October 2015 – More than 700 students from 30 schools around the country gathered today at the Building Bridges Fund event, organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje, for a day of songs and singing, theatre plays, sport games, and dance performances.

Playing to the audience were music artists and the Fund’s board members Rebeka and Toni Zen together with Fleka Band as well as the ‘X Factor Albania’ competitor Kanita Suma.

“The amount of interest proves that schools, teachers, parents and students see the need to increase the interaction between their communities and are certainly not afraid or uninterested as some might claim,” said Deputy Head of OSCE Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Marianne Berecz.

Minister of Education and Science Abdilaqim Ademi said: “Rich are the ones who have a lot of friends and are able to understand them all although they speak different languages and belong to different communities. Our country is an example of how to build, nourish and respect multiculturalism.”

Swiss Ambassador Stefano Lazzarotto noted the Embassy’s full support for the project and its results. “We are happy to have contributed to design an instrument for fostering cooperation, exchange and mutual acceptance between different schools and communities.”

Dutch Ambassador Wouter Plomp said: “We are happy to see you all together, regardless of your ethnic and religious background, building the bridges of friendship and understanding that lead towards a more prosperous society.”

The Building Bridges Fund, which is designed to benefit students, is a joint effort of the Ministry of Education and Science, Swiss Embassy, Dutch Embassy and the OSCE Mission to Skopje, supporting joint activities at schools involving students from all communities, and different languages in order to increase interaction, understanding and integration in the school environment.