Illegal mining

For some living in the Kosovar village of Zhilivoda, mining is the only way to make ends meet. With the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) snatching up any coal deposits they can find, some Zhilivoda land owners have chosen to take advantage of the deposits found in their backyards and dig on their property. The mines are not regulated by any safety standards and miners could work all day for three days but earn only 50 euro, which will be split four or more ways. Just two months ago, a miner in Zhilivoda was killed in a collapse just a few hundred yards from his house.

Refka Terrnava

Refka Terrnava lives in the shadow of the power plant where her husband worked until 2004, when he accidentally severed his leg at the knee. There were no emergency vehicles at the plant, so some co-workers drove him on a tractor to a nearby health clinic. When they finally got there, everybody at the clinic was on lunch break. Refka's husband bled to death.