Literacy Education Advisor

Literacy educators are invited to help strengthen Kosovo’s literacy programming and instruction.

Students from marginalized minority communities in Kosovo face significant barriers to staying in school and achieving basic literacy. Many attend a parallel education system that is not fully aligned with Kosovo’s curriculum, standards, or teacher training structures. This creates major gaps in teaching quality, learning materials, and student support—resulting in students falling behind. Many teachers lack professional development in literacy instruction, differentiated learning, and modern pedagogical methods. Textbooks, reading books, age‑appropriate literacy materials, and digital tools are often missing or outdated. Balkan Sunflowers Kosova is addressing these gaps by providing alternative learning pathways and direct literacy support. These gaps in teaching quality, learning materials, and support services leave many learners without foundational skills, contributing to low academic performance and severe barriers to future employment.

As a Literacy Advisor, you will collaborate with educators, program facilitators, and community coordinators to strengthen literacy learning. Together, you will create reading activities, design training modules, and build tools that support student progress. You may also help refine program curricula, create instructional materials, support reading clubs, and mentor staff. The developed guides, templates, learning materials, and assessment frameworks will support literacy efforts for years to come.

Bachelor's degree in literacy education or relevant field.
AND
Three or more years of experience in literacy education.

Volunteers typically live independently in the Pristina district or other urban centers with access to cafés, markets, and cultural events. Housing is modest and the Volunteer may experience occasional power outages or heating challenges in winter. Most Volunteers will live in an apartment, while others will live in a small house. The expected commute to the work site is 20–40 minutes by bus, taxi, bike or on foot.

Expand your literacy education expertise by developing student-centered programs and supporting community-based reading initiatives.
Develop Albanian language proficiency through immersive, daily conversations.
Build relationships that deepen your understanding of Kosovo’s culture while expanding your own professional perspective as a literacy practitioner.

Conduct literacy needs assessments for programs and community-learning groups.
Develop literacy curricula, lesson plans, reading sessions, and teaching materials.
Facilitate staff trainings on reading instruction and comprehension strategies to support all students.
Mentor educators and community facilitators in literacy methodologies.
Strengthen systems for monitoring literacy progress and documenting learner outcomes.
Support community-based reading clubs, learning circles, and parent engagement activities.
Create practical literacy toolkits and templates for continued program implementation.

You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as facilitating adult English conversation clubs or organizing community volunteer events.

After a two-week orientation on topics such as health and safety, you will move to an urban community where you will collaborate with the Balkan Sunflowers Kosova staff to assess literacy education needs and develop a work plan in line with their established goals.

Peace Corps/Kosovo will equip you with Albanian language resources and you may work with a tutor who can help you build basic language skills to connect with the community.