Dear Friends and Partners,

As the saying goes, “unusual times call for unusual measures”. Viruses, pandemics and the duty of social distancing we all have as a preventive measure can result in personal and professional challenges. On the bright side, such times also reveal the resourcefulness of people and teams. They direct us towards inventive ways of responding and adapting to the new circumstances, so we continue working towards our goal of creating opportunities in the countries where Swisscontact operates. 

The project Promoting Private Sector Employment of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Kosovo has been quick to respond to this global crisis to manage the situation and mitigate consequences. 

At the onset of the news of Covid-19 spreading, we took every precaution to create a safe working environment for the team and partners: 

• The office premises were appropriately equipped with sanitizing products and health care preventive kits. 
• We reduced field travel and meeting with external partners as much as possible.
• All team members were encouraged to stay home and work remotely if they or any family member were feeling even slightly under the weather. 

On 12 March 2020, when the pandemic was officially declared, acting fully in line with the instructions of the Government of Kosovo, the PPSE Management reacted swiftly issuing the following instructions until further notice:

• All staff were asked to opt working from home.
• Field trips for the time being were suspended. 
• Sector coordinators circulate a daily schedule of related work to be carried out.
• Finance office to coordinate daily payments via email. 
• One-to-one meetings with consultants or other partners not allowed; instead, Skype or other online tools to be used.

In fact, virtual teamwork is on full speed! Other than the usual traffic of emails, platforms such as Viber or Skype have filled the gap of physical distance with work going on at almost natural pace. This Tuesday, the weekly team meeting started at the usual time, following the same pace and level of discussion as just in any other regular Tuesday! 

PPSE will continue to monitor the situation and make decisions on resuming work from the office and field travel accordingly. 

Last but not least, the well-being of our families and loved ones and the civic obligation towards the fellow human beings takes precedence. As we will be working remotely from our homes, we will still be available on the virtual plane, harnessing the benefits of technology to provide support.

Stay safe and be well,

PPSE Team, Kosovo