Partnering directly with local governments aims to develop streamlined policies and procedures that municipalities will be able to replicate for their own projects. In the Gjilan municipality, USAID/Kosovo partnered with the local government on the construction of a new kindergarten.  In numerous public meetings, citizens had requested additional kindergartens for their communities, which face a severe shortfall of preschools to serve thousands of area children.   

USAID Mission Director James Hope and Gjilan Mayor Lutfi Haziri inaugurated the new school on September 20^th, which will provide a safe and healthy environment for 120 preschool-aged children in the Dardania neighborhood.  Under the Government-to-Government agreement between USAID and the municipality, USAID provided technical and managerial assistance to the municipality during the procurement and construction phases of the project, as well as assistance in navigating environmental factors. This new knowledge and experience will strengthen the municipality's capacity to provide improved services to its citizens as well as its ability to govern more efficiently and transparently.

The Advancing Kosovo Together-Local Solutions (AKT-LS) activity supported USAID in this project by helping to oversee the project’s implementation in Dardania.