Amid the euphoria of hundreds of thousands of refugees returning to Kosovo, Kosovars are coming to terms with the aftermath of war. Ruined homes and schools, landmines, damaged water supplies as well as the loss of loved ones and the trauma of their experience are just some of the challenges they face. There is also tension in areas where there minority communities of Serbs or Roma gypsies live and these groups now feel especially vulnerable. In Kosovo Polje, over 5,000 Roma people are currently living in a collective centre, inside a school building, with additional tents in the compound.
Immediate needs are for better public health.
Oxfam GB has installed a water supply and is building latrines. Sanitatation at the centre is dangerously poor and Oxfam is assisting in the removal rubbish with the centre's population. Plans are also being made to move people out of the school, which is not a suitable site, to several smaller community locations. Oxfam GB will provide water and sanitation and hygiene promotion assistance to these new locations. Oxfam GB staff are also working on repairs and improvements to water systems in the Kosovan towns of Mitrovica, Obilij, Skenderaj, Suha Reka, Rahovac, Klina, and Glogovac.