To overcome stereotypes and prejudices about one more chromosome, with the messages “Do not prejudice me”, “Walk on my shoes”, “Dear and very positive”, children, citizens, activists and politicians marched on Monday from the Assembly of Kosovo to the square “Zahir Pajaziti” in Prishtina.

This march, organized on the international day of Down Syndrome, aims at raising social and institutional awareness of the challenges faced by people with Down Syndrome, from education to employment.

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, who participated in the march, said that “as institutions we must understand that people with Down Syndrome are an extraordinary potential for society and must rely on every segment of their lives because they give us a lot of love and color”.

Osmani demanded that the models of other countries be taken into account regarding the integration of people with Down Syndrome in society, to increase the number of assistants in schools and to invest in genuine staff in physical therapy and speech therapy.

“We had a beautiful day and these kids excel in sports to music. We owe it to them to work together and understand what it is like to walk in their shoes,” said Osmani.

The director of the Down Syndrome Kosova Association, Sebahate Hajdini-Beqiri, said that children with Down Syndrome face different challenges every day.

“We believe that you will be with us every day because people with Down Syndrome need support because these people face different challenges every day,” she said.

Earlier this year, there were a couple of marked accidents, involving children with Down Syndrome. Ëmbla Ademi, a pupil with Down Syndrome in Gostivar, North Macedonia, had interrupted lessons in elementary school after the parents of the other students had petitioned for Ëmbla to leave the class.  After this issue caused a stir in the public opinion, Ëmbla was enabled to continue her education again.

In 2020 Down Syndrome Kosovo, an NGO,  faced the risk of closure after the Government of Kosovo did not respond to its financial demands. 

According to UN data, the estimated incidence of Down syndrome is between 1 in 1000 to 1 in 1100 live births worldwide. Each year, about 3,000 to 5,000 children are born with this chromosomal disorder.

Down Syndrome was first described in an academic paper by dr. Longdon Down, in 1886, in whose honor it is named.