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Emotional healing through caring for animals in Kosovo
A story from the field in Kosovo
The "Women Farmer Association" of Krusha e Vogel in Kosovo was founded in April 2002 by the women of the village who experienced a horrible terror when one hundred and fourteen men were killed as a result of war there in 1999. Most of the women in the group were young, in their mid-thirties to early forties, when their husbands and sons were taken from them and they became widows.
The humanitarian organisations Dorcas Aid International, Heifer Kosovo, Bóthar and De Brug Kosovo joined forces to help the widows improve their financial circumstances by donating Simmental heifers to the group as a way of helping them to try and rebuild their lives.
In May 2004, five years after the war, the cows arrived and it was the most exciting day for the war widows. They were crying tears of joy and tears of sadness saying, "Everything has been fulfilled for us besides our loved ones which nobody can bring back."
After the cows gave birth and the calves began to grow, the widows spent a lot of time with them and enjoyed taking care of them. The birth of the small creatures sparked a nurturing instinct in the widows which has helped in the emotional healing process.
No longer are the widows' eyes full of tears, now the ladies are smiling with the hope of life in their eyes. They said "We are so pleased with the animals. We spend a lot of time with them and they make us not think all the time about our past. We talk to them and they understand us."
One widow, Roza Prenkaj, told us that her cow had a premature birth of beautiful female twins. The calve twins were very weak and were not doing well. The veterinarian said there was no hope for one of the twins, but Roza never lost faith in the calf. Her great love and care for the calf helped it to survive.
Another widow, Sabrije Berisha, was very sad after the loss of her husband, but when her cow gave birth she changed completely. She kept her cow and calf extremely clean and healthy which showed her love for them. She said "Thank you very much. Even though I am tired, the love for the cow and the calf has given me strength to go forward. I spend most of my time with them; they don't let me get sad."
It is a great pleasure to hear that these cows did not just change the widow's financial situation, but the cows also changed their spirit and helped them to see that there is hope for the future.
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