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November 14, 2016

At the Service of Our Youth

Philanthropy is often misunderstood as the concept which involves “the rich” sharing a piece of their wealth with “the poor”. This widely held misconception often results in a stance held by a large part of society, who believe that they cannot possibly have enough to share with others when they are barely making a living for themselves.

In our view, philanthropy is much more than sharing our own resources; it is engaging ourselves actively and investing our free time, kindness and love in belief that by strengthening one in need she/he will no longer be dependent upon others. We also believe that by investing what we have for the benefit of others will not only help them become self-sustainable but will also give them the means to take upon the commitment to continue sharing with others what they once acquired from us in a ‘ripple effect’.

Our initiative is family led, with six persons being founders and Board Members also being daughters’ sons and grandchildren of Salih Nushi and Isa Nushi who were well known education veterans, professionals and intellectuals in Kosovo. In memory of our father’s and grandfather’s lifetime achievements, recognizing the difficult work they did promoting and fighting for equal access to education for girls and boys to schools in our society, we took upon ourselves to continue their path and work together to change the face of our society by investing in better education for young people in Kosovo.

In 2010 the Foundation Salih and Isa Nushi was established by Nergize, Driton, Edmond, Bujar, Diana, and Nora, with a goal to collect and distribute scholarships to students living in the most vulnerable conditions in Kosovo. Around 5 to 6 students become eligible for these scholarships every year; they work hard to meet the merit based and vulnerability criteria set in the Application, and convince Board Members as well as the Independent Evaluation Panel that they match the eligible criteria.

Our beneficiaries must be excellent students, actively participate in extracurricular activities, and show ambition towards becoming a future innovator. These students are very often inspiring young people who are proud to show their involvement outside of the school despite the fact that they come from very poor and vulnerable families.

FSIN Board Members provide the core resources to cover for three students, alongside family and friends who believe in our good cause. IPKO Foundation is also one of our key allies in this venture. IF supports our Foundation financially, logistically and professionally, sharing their guidance with us on many levels. It is not the amount of funding, but the nature of support from IF that makes the most impact on our foundation, and which makes our relationship uniquely beneficial and thus sustainable.

As for us, Members of the Board who run the show, we do everything voluntarily, since our funds go directly to the students without overhead, and in our free time. Most importantly, we do it with love.

Today, six years after the establishment of the foundation with more than 30 scholarships of 900 Euros each disbursed to students Kosovo-wide, we are proud to say that our story had made a difference in people’s lives. We will continue to promote a long lasting change through helping and through inspiring others to give their contribution for our community.

All you need is love!

Nora Loxha-Sahatciu and the Board Members