The project aims to tackle some of the causes of children´s social exclusion in Northern Kosovo, namely the lack (of absence) of teaching assistants, lack of quality free time activities, and home environment in some families which is not conducive to children´s education.

The estimated project outcomes include establishment, equipment and running of twelve free time centres (FTCs); establishment and operation of a network of teaching assistants; and work with parents of children exposed to the risk of social exclusion. Further, it is expected that a group of parents of children with disabilities will be formed, which should – alongside with the local partner organization – become an important agent in securing support to project outcomes’ sustainability. It is expected that the children’s parents will have an interest in their optimal development and will therefore strive to maintain mechanisms created by the project through negotiations with schools and respective authorities.

Obviously, socially excluded children and children exposed to the risk of social exclusion are the project’s target group. However, the project activities will be open to other children as well, so that the project does not create barriers among children and does not introduce new kinds of discrimination.

Sustainability of project outcomes will be a subject of negotiations between the project team, schools and respective authorities throughout the whole project lifecycle. The operation costs of FTCs will not be high; however, coordination and operation of the network of teaching assistants might be financially demanding. As the authorities are, at least partially, aware of the problem of children’s social exclusion, there is a hope that they will be willing to take part in funding of project outcomes after the project has finished.