About 25,500 families with over 100 thousand people are beneficiaries of social assistance in the country. Mitrovica has the largest number of families benefiting from the social scheme, while if it is calculated per capita, then in Obiliq, every sixth resident is a beneficiary of this scheme. The state is required to push the beneficiaries of the social scheme towards the labor market, training them during the time they are financially assisted.
The head of the Division for Social Assistance in the Government of Kosovo, Selvete Sadiku, told KosovaPress that the assistance is provided only to families that meet the criteria under the Law on Social Assistance Scheme.
Social assistance ranges from 60 euros to 180 euros, but due to the pandemic, the amounts received have been increased for several months by the Government of Kosovo.
“The temporary financial assistance is given to poor families who meet the criteria under the Law on Social Assistance Scheme. Currently, we have about 25,500 families that are the beneficiaries of social assistance. Whereas, there are about 101 thousand people who receive social assistance… Social assistance depends, that is, it starts from 60 euros for a person, but now especially in the time of the pandemic that has changed these payments, i.e., currently a member receives 78 euros with an increase of 30%, whereas in November and December these families have benefited based on double the usual payment”, said Sadiku.
The director of the Center for Social Work in Prishtina, Vebi Mujku told KosovaPress that Mitrovica has the highest number of families receiving social assistance, while if calculated per capita, then in Obiliq, every sixth resident benefits from the social scheme.
“Based on the data we have recently analyzed and the data of the statistics agency and the Ministry of Labor, Finance and Transfers. The municipality that has the most beneficiary families is from Mitrovica, it leads with a large number of families. But if we compare them per capita is Obiliq, where almost every sixth resident benefits from the social scheme, Mitrovica every seventh, Lipjan every tenth… Prishtina is part of the group of municipalities that is in the middle part because in Prishtina every 39 resident is a beneficiary of the social assistance scheme, whereas Prizren has the best conditions, where it is about every 69 resident resident benefits from the social scheme”, said Mujku.
Erblin Hoxha from Lëvizja Fol says that unemployment in Kosovo remains a concern since the post-war period. According to him, 20 percent of the population live in extreme poverty and the state has failed to deal with this category and reduce this percentage.
“In Kosovo, there is still a concern that almost 20 percent of the population is in extreme poverty and has less than 2 euros of daily income, so in extreme cases even less than 1 euro per day. So this statistic during the last 10-15 years has not changed much and this falls even if there are demographic changes in the number of employees in different sectors. In practice, the people that are most endangered by poverty and unemployment are not being treated, therefore we still have the same statistics for 10 years, almost in terms of the number of people living in extreme poverty”, said Hoxha.
On the other hand, Mujku emphasizes the need for beneficiaries of social schemes to prepare for the labor market.
He says that the Center he runs has good cooperation with the Vocational Education Centers, where they push the beneficiaries to prepare professionally and then find a job.
“The state must create conditions for these people to engage in employment as much as possible and only to create conditions for employment. And these beneficiaries should be engaged in the commitment to find a job. And we have an extremely good cooperation with the employment offices, with the employment agency where we direct all the beneficiaries of the social assistance scheme in the Vocational Education Centers to get a certificate, and based on their professional preparation to find a job”, he said.
The Government of Kosovo is required to draft an employment scheme during this year in order to alleviate the unemployment situation. World Bank data on poverty from a few years ago spoke of over 23% of citizens living in poverty. According to the same data of 2017, it is said that 5% of the population lives in extreme poverty with less than 1.5 euros per day.