Among the countless cafés serving macchiato, and restaurants cooking traditional Kosovar dishes in Prishtina, a few tucked-away restaurants seem somewhat out of place. They smell of rich Asian spices and are adorned in photographs and flags of faraway lands.

Aurora was nine years old when her grandfather began making sexual advances toward her. She endured verbal harassment, physical abuse —everything short of rape. Ten years passed and she hid behind her long brunette curls, afraid to speak out.

In Pristina, street artists are creating paintings meant to motivate, inspire, and set a hopeful tone for the post-conflict country.

Regardless of the problems, Bekim said there’s no real peril in being a security guard. Even if it were more dangerous, he would still work as one. And despite also being paid 230 euros a month, he said he is lucky.