3 October
2003
Small
Enterprises in Kosovo
(Sevim
Mesiham)
Money doesn’t grow on
trees – neither do jobs, and despite the best efforts of Kosovan institutions,
finding a job in Kosovo today, is an up hill, if not impossible task. A quick
stroll down the main street in any Kosovan town shows dozens of young people
sitting around, chatting, passing the time, making one cup of coffee stretch
over an hour, if not more. The majority of them are job seekers - and not all
have the resources to start up their own little businesses.
Neshe and Nagip, our
guests on UNMIK ON AIR today, did just that – tired of waiting for a
non-existent job to materialize, they decided to go it alone – in their case,
to set up a hairdressing saloon cum beauty parlour.
True, almost every
street corner in Prishtina today seems to sport a small hairdressing shop, but
judging from the experience of Neshe and Nagip, this seems to be a going
concern.
22-year old Neshe
Sungur, who originally hails from Vushtri, has dreamed of opening her own
beauty parlour from the time she was 15. She started an apprenticeship when she
was 15, but the war forced her to abandon that, at least in Kosovo. Like many
others, Neshe and her family fled to Turkey, where she continued her training
and obtained valuable work experience before returning to Kosovo. Her father
was initially reticent about the idea of opening her own shop, she says, but
once he knew she was determined, he was her biggest supporter.
Neshe Sungur: When I started out, I was an
apprentice, but you cant learn this job in one or two years, so when I went to
Turkey I was only a little bit prepared. But I learned a lot there, much more,
and not just about hair dressing but also other skills like make-up, manicure,
pedicure, depilation; I learned all these things there, so I decided to come
back to Kosovo and open my own saloon here. I’ve had that idea for a long time,
from the beginning, to be successful in this business and open my own saloon.
My father said to me - learn this job as much as you can and we will open a
shop for you.
25 year old Nagip Bince
is from Prishtina – hairdressing is in his family, his father, mother and
siblings are all in the business, Nagip himself learnt to master the scissors
when he was 13, but though the trade is a family one, it’s not in his blood. It
was his father who insisted he not just learn but also practice the trade.
Neshe’s shop is equipped
mostly with material from Turkey. She employs 3 young girls in her beauty
parlour - their enthusiasm, she says reminds her of when she started out. She
has no complaints about her business; the clients keep coming in, despite the
grim economic situation. Kosovan women, she says, don’t skimp on their visits
to the beauty parlour, even in times of crises.
Neshe
Sungur: Usually women don’t pay attention to the economic
situation, when there is a wedding, they come here to get their hair done, or
for a trim when their hair gets too long.
And sometimes women come here when they are psychologically down or
depressed, a change of look, they feel, will give them a lift. Because we
women, when we have problems, we tend to repress those feelings, and think a
visit to the hairdresser will make us feel better, that’s why I think the
economic crisis doesn’t really affect us”.
Nagip sees things
differently – his clientele has been reduced because of the economic problems
faced by most people, he says.
Nagip Bince: There is a big economic crisis,
lots of people without jobs without any income. My business doesn’t function
the way it did 3 years ago 07:46 I charge normal rates, but people can afford
them, I don’t overcharge my clients.
The training in Turkey,
both Neshe and Nagip say, has really helped them make it here in Kosovo. Both
are optimistic that things will get better – and both plan to perfect their
skills.
Neshe Sungur: Everyday there is something
new, and usually when something new appears we
try to learn it and improve our skills, that’s how the hairdressing
business works, something new everyday, and of course when people hear about it
and see it, they want to try it, so we do our best to please them”.
Nagip Bince: I ‘m not at all sorry about
being in this trade, I resisted when I started this job, my father even tried
to beat me to force me to work in the shop but now I want to thank him because
I wouldn’t change this job for any other in the world.
Back announce: Budding hairdressers – Neshe Sungur and Nagip
Bince, our guests on UNMIK ON AIR today.
Thanks for listening.