Service above self, since 2006
Rotary Club Peja brings together business and community leaders in Peja who volunteer their time, skills and resources to make life better in their city and across Kosovo.
Who we are
Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million members who believe in taking action to create lasting change, in their own communities and around the world. Rotary Club Peja is the oldest Rotary club in Kosovo and a member of Rotary District 2485, Albania & Kosova.
Since its charter in 2006, Peja Rotarians have carried out more than a hundred projects in health, education, water and sanitation, peace and humanitarian aid, several of them funded by global grants from The Rotary Foundation. They have also worked to build a culture of giving and volunteering in a young country, and to pass it on to the next generation through Rotaract.
A message from our founding president Dr. Neshad R. Albani
Founding President, Rotary Club Peja
Major Donor, The Rotary Foundation
Member, The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers
Founder, Peja Peace Forum
Dear friends,
On 23 February 2005, exactly one hundred years after the first Rotary meeting in Chicago, a few friends in Peja answered my invitation to our first Rotary meeting. That November, Kosovo was admitted to Rotary International, the first international recognition of our country. On 30 June 2006, Rotary Club Peja became the first chartered Rotary club in Kosovo.
Since then, Peja Rotarians have carried out more than a hundred projects in health, education, water and humanitarian aid, and helped bring Rotary to cities across Kosovo. None of this would have been possible without the tireless work of friends, Rotarians and non-Rotarians, from around the world.
Club presidents, district governors and directors come and go, but Rotary friendship stays forever.
My friend Heinz Kunio of Thessaloniki, one of the great supporters of Kosovo’s admission to Rotary, taught me that, and I have found it to be true. We join Rotary to work more, to serve better, and to stay united.
Rotary is a wonderful organisation, and we are all part of this wonder. You are welcome in Peja. Enjoy the beauty of our city and, together with Peja Rotarians, explore the possibilities for friendship and shared projects.
Come to Peja, and enjoy Rotary!
Honorary members
The club honours people whose life’s work has served Kosovo and the ideals of Rotary.
- Fatmir Sejdiu Former President of Kosovo 2006
- Jürgen Gramke Chairman, Institute for European Affairs (INEA); former Minister of Economics of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany 2008
- Dale Pfeiffer Former Director of USAID in Kosovo 2011
- Stipe Mesić Former President of Croatia 2011
- Radojica Dakić Past President, Rotary Club Podgorica, Montenegro 2021
- Agim Aliçkaj Board member, Albanian American Civic League 2023
- Hafiz Shala Board member, Albanian American Civic League 2023
- Ed Hammel New York businessman and long-time supporter of Kosovar students at leading US universities 2024
Milestones
- 23 February 2005
The first meeting
Exactly 100 years after the first Rotary meeting in Chicago, Dr. Neshad R. Albani invites friends to the first Rotary meeting in Peja. A Rotary plaque now marks the spot.
- November 2005
Kosovo joins Rotary International
The Board of Rotary International admits Kosovo and adds it to District 2480, alongside Northern Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro. For Kosovo it is the first recognition by an international organisation.
- 30 June 2006
Rotary Club Peja is chartered
On the last day of the 2005–06 Rotary year, Rotary Club Peja becomes the first chartered Rotary club in Kosovo, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Podgorica, Montenegro, and the Indio Sunrise Rotary Club, California, USA.
- 2006–2008
In the Line of Duty
For two years the club supports, every month, the families of all Kosovo police officers killed on duty.
- 2007–2008
A culture of giving
Rotary Club Peja ranks second among the 90 clubs of District 2481 for donations to The Rotary Foundation.
- 2008–2009
Bringing Rotary to Kosovo
The club sponsors new Rotary clubs in Prizren, Ferizaj, Mitrovica and Prishtina, and later co-sponsors the clubs in Gjilan and Vitia.
- 2010
Rotaract Club Peja
The club sponsors Rotaract Club Peja, so that young people in the city can take part in Rotary service.
- 2011
Rotary Park
For the club’s 5th anniversary, a Rotary monument in natural stone is raised in the Rotary Park.
- 2015
The first Golden Leaf Festival
An autumn festival of photography and art in Peja and Rugova that grows to draw entries from four continents.
- 2016
Ten years of service
A second monument, in black marble, is unveiled in the city centre, and Post and Telecom of Kosovo issues two stamps for the anniversary.
- 2019
Scholarships for girls
A Rotary Foundation global grant funds scholarships for 80 female university students in Peja.
- 2 June 2022
District 2485
Rotary International approves a new district joining the Rotary clubs of Albania and Kosovo, District 2485.
- 11 September 2022
“Memory and Friendship”
The club inaugurates the first 9/11 memorial in Southeast Europe, built around a steel beam from the Twin Towers.
- 2024
Still growing
Rotary Club Peja sponsors Garden Rotary Club Prishtina, launches the Peja Peace Forum, and wins a global grant to bring solar power to Peja Hospital.
- 2026
Educating for peace
A global grant for peace and human rights education for teachers and pupils in Peja.
Kosovo’s admission to Rotary International was made possible by friends around the world, among them Laurie Linxweiler of Rotary International, PP David Gotaas (RC Winnetka-Northfield, USA), PP Haki Dervishi (Indio Sunrise Rotary Club, USA), PDG Kalcho Hinov (District 2480) and PP Radojica Dakić (RC Podgorica). We remain grateful to all of them.