Mental health care has increased its importance internationally as a priority sector in traumatised populations after a disaster or an armed conflict during the last decades. Kosovo lost its traditional medical referral systems following the regional conflicts after 1990 and the crisis in 1999, leaving the population with a lack of basic health care services. This led to putting mental health aspects in a lower priority for families with members suffering from life threatening conditions where treatment was not available in the country. This paper describes an eight years long medical programme with the aim of supporting capacity building parallel to meeting emergency needs. One important and hopefully sustainable result of the project was the establishment of professional friendships and professional international networks leading to possibilities for continuous contacts. Ethical dilemmas and priority aspects within a limited budget are discussed in the article.