Building and Reinforcing Inclusive Communities in Kosovo (BRICK)

The Building and Reinforcing Inclusive Communities in Kosovo (BRICK) was a project funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) implemented by the International Organization for Migration Mission in Kosovo (IOM).

The BRICK project aimed to contribute to the improvement of returnees’ access to government services to enable their sustainable return and reintegration to Kosovo. The project focused on building the capacity of Kosovo authorities, primarily through the Ministry of Communities and Return (MCR) at the central level and the Municipal Offices for Communities and Return (MOCRs) at the local level, as well providing direct assistance to returnees that had returned spontaneously to Kosovo and thereby not benefitted from previous reintegration assistance.

Through the BRICK project, a comprehensive Assessment on the Long-term Impacts and Practices on Sustainable Reintegration to Kosovo was conducted. The assessment was based on interviews with all major international, national, municipal and civil society stakeholders, as well as 500 returnees who returned to Kosovo between 2010-2015 with assistance from previous return and reintegration programs, funded by the U.S. or other international donors. Based on findings and best practices identified through the assessment, the BRICK project organized eight trainings for a total of 136 MCR and MOCR officials and civil society workers.

In total, the BRICK project supported 20 returnee families (83 individuals) fromminority communities through the provision of direct assistance including light shelter repairs for those in most dire need of improved housing conditions and reintegration assistance in the form of income generation grants to pursue self-employment.

Moreover, IOM supported three Social Enterprises, of which two newly-established, creating 15 permanent and 49 seasonal employment opportunities to build linkages between returnees and local residents, and Kosovars of all ethnicities.

The BRICK project was implemented in six municipalities: Gjilan/Gnjilane, Istog/Istok, North Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Novobërdë/Novobrdo, Pejë/Peć and Shtërpcë/ Štrpce.

The project was implemented from September 2015 to September 2016. To find out more, please refer to the BRICK final report (in EN, ALB,  SRB).