“Freesia" Paper Factory is the only one in the region with the mission of employing people with disabilities. Founded on 19 May 2023 and with a current staff of 10 employees, this factory produces kitchen and toilet paper, which is sold at around 950 locations throughout Kosovo.

The director of the factory, Endrit Rexhaj, says that "Freesia" was founded by the Golden Eagle Foundation and that the whole process lasted almost two years.

"The inspiration for establishing the factory came from me. I was part of the "Frutex" company for seven years, in the IT sector. We started the discussion there and undertook the step of opening the factory where only people with disabilities would be employed, all financed by the Golden Eagle Foundation. It took approximately two years for the idea to come to life, and we have already been operating in the market for a year. We started with two people, while currently we have ten employees. So, we are growing gradually and we intend to grow further, since we have the capacity for the number of employees to reach around 30", he said, adding that the establishment of this factory, up to its full operationalization, has cost the foundation about 1 million euros.

"After completing all the procedures, we started hiring people with disabilities. We are aware that the rights of this category of society in Kosovo are not respected enough. They do not even have the opportunity to work. There are only three of us who have previous work experience, while all the others have entered the labour market for the first time. In order to reach them, we started with various marketing campaigns on social networks, we contacted the "Handikos" association who provided us with recommendations, which then resulted in the employment of certain persons", Rexhaj stated.

The director of the factory said that they chose kitchen and toilet paper, as well as cardboard packaging, as products to be produced by this category of society because they were considered easier to work with.

"The reason why it was decided to produce kitchen and toilet paper, as well as to work with cardboard packaging at the same time, is the fact that they are the easiest products to produce. Moreover, the main purpose was to offer people with disabilities an opportunity to work with the most convenient conditions. We are aware that the market is overloaded with these two types of products, but this has not posed a problem for us, as we have seen it as a unique project that will help a very important category of society. Providing these people with a workplace was more important to us, rather than having personal gains".

Further, he informed that "Freesia" is mainly financed by the income it generates from the sale of products, but also with the help of the foundation.

"Most of the income is generated by our own work. We need to sell our products as much as possible, in order to increase our finances and eventually open new job positions. We sell our products in around 950 locations throughout Kosovo. We are not present in some major supermarket chains, because despite having shown interest in such a thing, we have not found cooperation."

He added that they are also thinking of expanding the production lines with some other types of products.

"Normally, as a company, we are working towards developing new ideas for projects, which would expand the impact on society, as well as help us on our path towards the production of new products. In this regard, I would like to emphasize that there are two ways to help this factory and increase the number of employees: receiving a project from any organization, normally through our work, as well as having citizens of Kosovo buy our products".

In the end, Rexhaj emphasized that as a factory, they have tried to offer their employees good working conditions, including daily meals, health insurance, working hours according to the law, employment contracts and an average salary of around 650 euros.

This is also affirmed by Elmi Qamili, an employee of this factory since its establishment.

"I have been working in this factory since its establishment. “Handikos” introduced me to this opportunity. I sent my application, I was invited to an interview and I got the job. Working conditions are very good, as we have health insurance, good salary, daily meal. We even have additional benefits, such as free papers that we produce and free drinks. We do not lack anything. The best thing is that we also have very good communication and cooperation with colleagues. We are like a family here", he said.

Qamili added that this factory is a good example that should be followed by others.

Photo credits: Arbër Gjoni
 

This interview is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Catalyst Balkans and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

The Citizen Engagement Activity in Kosovo is a five-year initiative implemented by Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).