![Ethnic Albanian and Macedonian students, teachers and school principal take a break during a joint art project in preparation for the Easter holiday in the primary school “Naum Ohridski” in Skopje, Macedonia. Credit: Kristen Byrne, USAID](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20170124214015im_/https://blog.usaid.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSCF0281x-thumb.jpg)
In observance of the International Day for Tolerance on November 16, Andrew Plitt, USAID Senior Development Advisor to the United States European Command (USEUCOM), reflects on how USAID and the Department of Defense are helping to build a more unified Macedonia after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. Through his eyes, the USAID-DOD partnership is providing a glimmer of hope for the future of Macedonia, especially among its youth.