GIVE in KOSOVO: Building the First Give Ecosystem

Thanks to its social impact mission, Give has been focusing on locating communities where it can have a leveraged impact on the local community while developing its ecosystem.

Kosovo is an amazing example where 50% of its 1.9M inhabitants are 18 years old or less. It is a pleasure and honor to be able to help this country achieve its digital revolution.

Our Founder, Arnaud Saint-Paul, was invited, thanks to our partners Digital Skolle, to speak at KosICT 2018 and he also was invited to DigiTalks 2018 where he talked with a few dignitaries of Give and its mission.

Specifically, he exchanged with the Minister of Innovation, Besim Beqaj, about the need of digital innovation in Kosovan’s schools. You can see them on the picture on the right along with Hana Qerimi, co-founder of Digital Skolle.

PhD. Besim Beqaj is newly appointed Minister of Innovation and Entrepreneurship on 9th of September 2017. Before being appointed as a Minister in the Ministry of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Mr. Beqaj served as a Member of the Parliament of Republic of Kosovo during the previous legislature. Prior to this, from 2013 until 2014 Mr. Beqaj was Minister of Finance, from 2011 until 2013 was Minister of Economic Development, from 2010 until 2011 was Minister of European Integration. Mr. Beqaj was also Political Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office in the Republic of Kosovo and simultaneously, he was appointed as National Coordinator for the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

He then met with the former Minister of Finance, Ahmet Shala, where they talked about the need of financial literacy for schools.



Finally, he discussed with Dr Justina Mutale and are working now on a partnership to bring its Give Labs to Zambia and UK. Dr Justina Mutale has been acclaimed as one of the most influential and inspirational women of African origin.

Dr Justina Mutale is the “African Woman of the Year” 2012, an honour bestowed upon Justina on the same platform as Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa as well as the former President of Malawi, The Rt. Hon. Joyce Banda and the former female Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, The Hon. Thokozani Khupe.  Justina has twice been honoured on the same platform as the first President of the Republic of Zambia Dr Kenneth Kaunda in the Voice Achievers Awards in the Netherlands and the Global Officials of Dignity (G.O.D.) Awards held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.