Community Building Mitrovica

CBM is a grassroots multi-ethnic NGO which aims to identify and advance the common concerns of citizens, empowering communities to work together and establish means of peaceful co-existence.

Overview

Community Building Mitrovica (CBM) is a local Non-Governmental Organisation active in the region of Mitrovica in north Kosovo. We organise activities to bring the inhabitants of Mitrovica and its region – Albanians, Serbs, Roma, Ashkali, Bosniaks and other minorities – back together, to live in peace and prosperity. So the large majority of our projects are multiethnic and focus on the grassroots level.

Fields in which CBM works are: media, culture, youth, women, minorities, dialogue and return of refugees and IDPs (internally displaced persons). CBM’s projects are open to members of all communities living in Mitrovica. CBM often cooperates with other NGOs and helps out with local initiatives, but also works with local governmental institutions and international organisations in order to initiate, develop and implement projects.

CBM has been active since 2001. In the beginning CBM was directly supporting civil initiatives, to regenerate any kind of cultural and civic life in the city and Region of Mitrovica, on both sides of the Ibar river. These included sports events, humanitarian donations (e.g. while celebrating national or religious holidays) and municipal linking. Most of these were mono-ethnic and mostly initiated and organised by groups of civilians with financial and logistic support from CBM. Since 2004 CBM’s strategy changed to initiating and developing its own projects, which had to contribute to bringing the conflicting ethnic groups back together again. Humanitarian aid was left to the more specialised (often international) NGOs. But some examples of this work are still worth mentioning.

Mission
CBM is a grassroots multi-ethnic NGO based in Mitrovica which aims to identify and advance the common concerns of Mitrovica’s citizens to empower communities to work together and establish means of peaceful co-existence. CBM provides facilitation and mediation of inter-ethnic dialogue, advocacy for those promoting social integration and capacity building of civil society.

Vision
CBM envisions Mitrovica as a safe environment where people live a normal fulfilling life, a space where accountable institutions and a strong civil society guarantee the rule of law, where there is respect for diversity and the opportunity to choose.

Objectives
To reach fulfilment of the mission and vision, CBM has set some realistic objectives that are used as guidelines:

• A free exchange of culture between communities exists through a diversity of means, organisations and institutions;
• The reintegration of communities with mixed populations or in mixed areas of return is significantly advanced; and
• An objective and independent media and other information sources exist in Mitrovica.

What Services Are Provided?

Trainings, advocacy, counselling.

Geographical Area Of Operation

City of Mitrovica, Kosovo

Funding Resources

• IKV Pax Christi;
• Hivos;
• Mennonite Central committee;
• ICCO;
• Civic Dialogue;
• OSCE;
• Danish refugee council;
• British Representative Office Pristine;
• Dutch Representative Office Pristine; and
• Foundation for democratic initiative.

What New Contacts Would You Like To Make?

We would like to make contacts with NGOs working in a similar field from across the world.

Associated Organisations

• Kosovo Nansen Dialogue;
• Association for peace;
• Mitrovica municipality South;
• Mitrovica municipality north;
• Kosovo police service;
• Musicians without borders;
• Wilde Ganzen;
• Women in black – Heeg;
• Keysekinderen Breda;
• Monte Sole;
• Press now; and
• Remonstrantse Broederschap.