| Bashkim Islami, 28, is a primary school teacher in Mikushnice, Kosova. He lives with 12 members of his family in a village that until now had no running water. The nearest well was a kilometre away which meant villagers had to carry water every day. Some had horses or tractors to help them, but others had to make the daily trips on foot. “It was a very hard life, but we didn’t have any alternative,” Bashkim told Islamic Relief.
As a member of the village council, Bashkim supported Islamic Relief’s plans to build a water supply system in his village. Many families had already been forced to leave the village and migrate to other areas because of the lack of water. Bashkim did not want to have to do the same.
With the support of the local community, Islamic Relief built a water supply system that brought clean water to the village. “Thanks to Islamic Relief we now have water in our homes and life is much easier for us. Whenever we need it we have water for drinking, cooking and washing – and we don’t have to carry it!” Bashkim said.
Since the water system was built, villagers have stopped migrating to other areas and general health and hygiene has also improved. “Many of the illnesses we had before have disappeared,” Bashkim said. “I hope Islamic Relief will do more projects like this because it really has changed our lives.”
Find out more about Islamic Relief's Water and Sanitation projects
Find out more about Islamic Relief in Kosovo
 |