On September 30, 2024, Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Municipality of Obiliq in Kosovo to install solar panels on school rooftops as part of the Sunny Schools Initiative.

The initiative aims to invest in several schools in Obiliq, traditionally a coal town, with the goal of promoting renewable energy and environmental sustainability. The electricity generated by the solar panels will be utilized by the schools themselves, thereby decreasing their reliance on the public electricity grid and resulting in direct savings on their electricity bills.

The MoU signed by the Mayor of Obiliq, Xhafer Gashi and OSF-WB Team Leader and Kosovo Director, Lura Limani, outlines a collaborative framework in which the Municipality of Obiliq has agreed that money saved on the electricity bills will be returned as investment to the participating schools and support project ideas coming from the school community.

In Kosovo, the Sunny Schools Initiative will be implemented in the municipalities of Obiliq and Fushe Kosova, who join schools of Prishtina and Gjakova, as well as schools in other municipalities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

With the Sunny Schools Initiative, OSF-WB aims to promote sustainable energy practices but also empower communities and fosters local participation, paving the way for a greener and more resilient future in the Western Balkans.