Way, way back at the start of my career, I was given a great opportunity at the company Yandilla Park in the Riverland region of Australia. They actively employed new graduates and trained them on the job through working with more expereienced technical staff. Building skills for the whole industry was their legacy, and I have tried to do similar whenever I have had the opprtunity. It is great to have a program here in Portugal that helps finance this, and Francisco is the beneficiary of this support.

Undertaking the mid-term review for a rural development project targeting rural poor families and farmers was a great opportunity to see first-hand the great work being done by local Kosovo organizations. In this case it was IADK (iadk.org) who have a great track record in pro-poor development.

Beyond the project, I was asked by many people what changes I could see in the country. There was definitely more investment in agribusiness, which made me very happy (and a little bit proud!). At the wider economy level, there was change, but it definitely was not enormous. However, in any developing economy, slow progress is better than no progress. 

What Kosovo can be especially proud of though, is that despite the many challenges it, and the whole world, has faced in recent years, they have continued forward development - no minor achievement!

And it also was a great chance to try some of the great, local ajvar!