The Life of a Kosovar

Neshad Ademaj, the purchaser for a grocery distribution center, uses his Ipko Card to receive money from family members working in Germany, without the high cost of other money transfer companies.

Erina, Ademaj’s daughter, plays in the front yard of her family’s home outside of Prizren, Kosovo. Ademaj also uses his Ipko Card to conveniently pay bills and do errands that would otherwise require him to travel into town and take up a lot of valuable time, that he can now spend with his family instead.

Ademaj’€™s grandmother is the eldest member of the family. Ademaj also lives with his mother, father, wife, and three children. The money he receives from his brothers in Germany help support the four generations living under one roof.

Erinol and Albin, Ademaj’€™s other two children, play basketball on their driveway with their dad, while their mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother pick flowers from their garden.

Ademaj left Germany, where he was working with his two brothers, to come home and help support his family. He promised his, then, girlfriend that he would return to Kosovo to marry her and raise a family.

Ademaj’s mother, right, and her mother, pictured with her, are incredibly proud of their beautiful home outside of Prizren, particularly their flowerbeds and garden.

Ademaj picks up Erina after she fell down while trying to play basketball with her big brothers at their home.

Ademaj, his wife, children and grandmother pose for a family portrait.

Photos and Captions by Lara Haase