This Friday, on 17 February, Kosovo leaders will raise a glass to celebrate their achievements from nine years of independence, but many will not be there to cheer with them.

While in many areas Kosovo’s statehood has been strengthened, little has changed in the lives of ordinary people. After nine years of independence Kosovars are still locked in isolation and poverty. They still find themselves unemployed, without health care, a working education system or any hope to find a job, while those who do work hardly make ends meet.