Mother Theresa Society
The population of Pristina has doubled due to the influx of internally displaced persons from destroyed rural villages. Mother Theresa Society, a humanitarian agency named after the beloved Nobel Laureate nun, operated dozens of small medical clinics or ambulantas throughout Kosovo. Branches in the US and Europe regularly collected donations of aid but these have stopped coming. On our second day in Kosovo in July, their office in Pristina distributed its last shipment of salt, margarine, oil and flour to displaced families living in the Ulpijanna neighborhood. They had been dependent on this service for the past year.

“We don’t have enough food. We served 400 people today,” said aid worker, Ragip Mehmeti. “I don’t know what we’ll do. They need food desperately and think we are hiding it from them. Some are starving.” There was no milk for children or infant formula.

“If they stop this aid, we will die. We don’t have an income,” said Emine Zegiri from the village of Hada near Obilic. She has four children and lives with eleven family members outside in a tent. “No one came to ask us if we have enough food or what we’ll do. We depend on the good will of people.” She pleaded with us to build her a small house. Thousands of Kosovars are in similar situations.

Isa Shala, a former farmer, used to live near Klina. He saw his house burned. “It was just me that survived. I went to 50 villages total— without food. Others helped me. Without them, I would have died in the mountains.”

“I want my own government for Kosovo. We have always lived badly. Thank you to the USA. Without you, we couldn’t do anything. You helped liberate us. Now we need you. Don’t forget us. The ideal society is to have people living together, to have love, and to have prosperity for all.” It was unclear if his vision included Serbs.