Rebuilding Hope in Post-conflict Regions: Telemedicine in Kosovo - Ethical Engineering for International Development and Environmental Sustainability - page 273

The KLA were disbanded, but many of them were retrained as the Kosovo Protection
Corps (KPC) (UNMIK 2009 ). Following the collapse of negotiations between
Belgrade and the largely pro-Kosavan Albanian civil administration in Pristina in the
late 2007, Kosovo declared independence in 2008, with a new constitution coming
into force on 15 June 2008. As of 2013, there is still a strong UN presence in Kosovo.

3 Post-confl ict Need for Hope

The immediate post-confl ict situation in Kosovo found people striving to escape the
horror of war and to fi nd some sense of normality. The region was in severe eco-
nomic and political turmoil. There was also the continuing threat of violence or of
tensions re-escalating (Turner et al. 2008 ; Lund 1996 ). A post-confl ict society is a
traumatised society. Cardozo et al. ( 2000 ) conducted a study in the early post-war
Kosovo, which found that 25% of the adult population over the age of 15 showed
signs of post-traumatic stress and rising levels of anxiety and depression. Research
by Farran et al. ( 1995 ) has shown that hope is an essential element in coping with
adverse events. Opposites of hope are hopelessness, helplessness, despair and
depression. In extreme circumstances, for example, mass social inequalities, the
aftermath of war or genocide, entire societies may struggle with a deep sense of a
loss of hope.
Frankl ( 2004 ) found that one human trait is to survive by looking to the future.
He termed the need to have something or someone to live for as 'the self-transcen-
dence of human existence' (Frankl 2004 : 115). This encompassed the idea that if a
person, regardless of the extreme circumstances they are exposed to, can fi nd hope
in fi nding a meaning to their existence: either a task to fulfi l or a person other than
themselves to care for. This hope for the future could be found through elements
of a 'normal' life: family, sociocultural activities, religion and participation in
economic activities (Summerfi eld 2002 ).
ICT can have an impact in the immediate aftermath of the confl ict and in the
rebuilding post-confl ict. ICT can sustain the process of peace building and 'empower
grassroots communities and bring cohesion to a range of activities on multiple tiers
that are an intrinsic part of peace building and confl ict transformation' (Hattotuwa
2004 : 52). The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the
Association of the US Army (AUSA) developed a framework for tasks necessary
for reconstruction in a post-confl ict region. These are referred to as the four pillars
of reconstruction: security, justice and reconciliation, social and economic well-
being, governance and participation (CSIS/AUSA 2002 ). Examples of ICT that can
assist in carrying out these tasks include Humanitarian Information Centres (HICs),
which are run by the UN Offi ce for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA). These are established in confl ict and post-confl ict zones and are open
access. HICs provide information resources to coordinate non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), the UN and government actors. Information resources for
planning, assessing and implementing humanitarian assistance can include contact