Thoughts from Keith Porter - August 3rd

Most of the world (except for Serbia and a handful of other countries) seems inclined toward making Kosovo an independent country...but they have legitimate concerns about how Kosovo is treating its minorities. The international community has been telling the Kosovar Albanian majority (in so many words): your years of persecution by the Serbs does not absolve you of the moral obligation to protect the minorities you are now responsible for governing.

Serbs may be the most visible and vocal victims of rights abuses here, but the Roma also get their share of abuse and neglect. So it was interesting to visit Kolonije, a Roma community, today. Roma's are an ethnic group often referred to as Gypsies...and they are found across much of Europe. And they are treated poorly just about everywhere.

The places where the people live are awful. There are a few permanent homes, but mostly I saw shacks surround by mud and trash. But the facility we used was pretty nice. We did music, art, and craft classes in an education center built by a private charity. The center exists to prepare area children for public school. Many of these kids, including a 13 year old we met today, have never set foot in a school.

But the best part was seeing how our Kosovo Albanian partners interacted with these Roma kids. Liz says she gave her volunteers the option of opening new weekly classes in a variety of communities...and they chose this place. Seeing the love and generosity they share with the Roma kids in Kolonije gives me new hope for Kosovo.