The 5th joint EU and Western Balkan Fund (WBF) call for projects focused on strengthening regional focused on strengthening regional cooperation, and strengthen regional cohesion in the WB6 region, with three main areas of intervention Cultural cooperation, education & scientific exchanges, and sustainable development, proved the importance of cooperation between Western Balkan Countries to address issues that help the organisations and individuals improve the lives of communities in this region.
Supported from this call, various initiatives addressed from climate emergency problems to initiatives committed to establishing regional cooperation and exchange in the field of promoting and preserving traditional artisanal products including targeted local interventions while promoting the economic empowerment of women.
With the new WBF and EU call around the corner, we are bringing the success stories of Friends of Korça Association from Albania and Equality organisation from Kosovo on implementing regional projects.
Solar energy for citizens in the Western Balkans
Several civil society organisations from Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia came together around one mission: to tackle climate change in the Western Balkans and promote the benefits of using solar energy. Led by “Friends of Korca” Association from Albania, this project brought together partners such as Balkan WASH Network (BWN) from North Macedonia, Center for Sustainable Community Development from North Macedonia, Innovation Fund of Montenegro, MSJA from Montenegro along with Environmental Ambassadors for Sustainable Development from Serbia, Tirana Polytechnic University from Albania as well as the Albanian Association of Renewable Energy and Korça University from Albania. These partners created the Solar-PV4Western Balkans Network, whose aim is to engage stakeholders from an institutional level to a grassroot level to advocate and promote the best practices of self-producers of solar energy.
Information and knowledge exchange on legislation, initiatives and innovative solutions on solar energy were crucial to build the foundation for great advocacy and educational activities of the network in all the represented countries..
“Today, solar energy for citizens, communities and small businesses is a fascinating opportunity. The European Union has approved very important programs and legislation on solar energy development. We simply need to adopt this legislation and programs in our countries as soon as possible, to provide clean energy, affordable energy for the citizens, employment and incomes for the local economy,” said Gjergji Gjinko, the chair of Friends of Korça association, who led the Solar Energy for Citizens in the Western Balkan project.
The experts involved in the project from all partner organisations each complemented the project with their own expertise, varying from experience in identification and promotion of best practices for women’s leadership in sustainable energy and on gender just sustainable energy services for low-income non-connected areas, at a low cost, to articulating the issue of climate emergency on an academic level.
The project delivered four country reports (Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) that will serve as information for the citizens about the legislation, opportunities and benefits of using solar energy and for the purpose of advocating on a policy-making level. The website created in the frame of the project reflects the sense of mission of its partners and ensures a longevity of project results, wider reach as well as a continuation of its partners’ mission.
Empowering women through traditional artisanal products
“We have established a connection with organisations Pazarski Bazar Ruktvorina and Center “Women in Public Services” in order to promote women from Kosovo, Albania and Serbia in our region and to provide support for the protection and development of old handicrafts. We wanted to show and preserve from oblivion all that the hardworking women of our society once did, and to present to our region all the peculiarities and specificities of our traditions that will be done and preserved in the future,” says Ubejda Osmani from the Equality non-governmental organisation based in Prizren, Kosovo committed to promoting the Bosniak community and increasing influence in public, political and cultural life through empowerment, primarily of women and young people in the protection of human rights through various forms of education, volunteerism, as well as by strengthening the role of women and young people in society.
With the goal to establish regional cooperation and exchange in the field of promoting and preserving traditional artisanal products including targeted local interventions while promoting the economic empowerment of women, the project started with a field outreach in Prizren across different villages and communities and visits to women and visits to women who craft traditional artisanal products, women-led businesses, and self-employed women. Two workshops followed, organized with women from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo as participants. One of these workshops was related to the promotion and branding of artisanal products and the second one on how to draft a business plan and attract investments. The regional conference held in Durrës, Albania with around thirty women from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo as participants, focused on the regional promotion of artisanal products and intangible cultural heritage by women.
“The support from the Western Balkan Fund helped us promote and strengthen regional cooperation” said Ms. Osmani while highlighting the participation of women from Kosovo, Albania and Serbia in the project, and moreover the diversity of their ethnicities and backgrounds, “Women and young girls from various ethnic backgrounds, from 20 to 65 years who are skilled in old traditional craft products and who were interested in start-up initiatives or self-employment were part of the project activities. These were single mothers, widowed, married, single women with different educational backgrounds, occupations and interests from Kosovo, Albania and Serbia and from different communities such as Albanian, Serbian, Bosniak, Turkish and Roma communities, more specifically old women” she added.
The stories of women involved in the project are featured in this documentary produced by Equality non-governmental organisation and its partners.
The Western Balkans Fund (WBF) is an international organization located in Tirana, Albania, founded by the governments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo *, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Its establishment, as an all-inclusive and regionally owned initiative, is considered as a clear sign of a new cooperative spirit taking roots in the Balkans. WBF aims to promote cooperation and the common values between citizens, civil society and people to people contacts, by providing funding for small and medium projects, in the following key areas.
Information and knowledge exchange on legislation, initiatives and innovative solutions on solar energy were crucial to build the foundation for great advocacy and educational activities of the network in all the represented countries..
“Today, solar energy for citizens, communities and small businesses is a fascinating opportunity. The European Union has approved very important programs and legislation on solar energy development. We simply need to adopt this legislation and programs in our countries as soon as possible, to provide clean energy, affordable energy for the citizens, employment and incomes for the local economy,” said Gjergji Gjinko, the chair of Friends of Korça association, who led the Solar Energy for Citizens in the Western Balkan project.
The experts involved in the project from all partner organisations each complemented the project with their own expertise, varying from experience in identification and promotion of best practices for women’s leadership in sustainable energy and on gender just sustainable energy services for low-income non-connected areas, at a low cost, to articulating the issue of climate emergency on an academic level.
The project delivered four country reports (Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) that will serve as information for the citizens about the legislation, opportunities and benefits of using solar energy and for the purpose of advocating on a policy-making level. The website created in the frame of the project reflects the sense of mission of its partners and ensures a longevity of project results, wider reach as well as a continuation of its partners’ mission.
Empowering women through traditional artisanal products
“We have established a connection with organisations Pazarski Bazar Ruktvorina and Center “Women in Public Services” in order to promote women from Kosovo, Albania and Serbia in our region and to provide support for the protection and development of old handicrafts. We wanted to show and preserve from oblivion all that the hardworking women of our society once did, and to present to our region all the peculiarities and specificities of our traditions that will be done and preserved in the future,” says Ubejda Osmani from the Equality non-governmental organisation based in Prizren, Kosovo committed to promoting the Bosniak community and increasing influence in public, political and cultural life through empowerment, primarily of women and young people in the protection of human rights through various forms of education, volunteerism, as well as by strengthening the role of women and young people in society.
With the goal to establish regional cooperation and exchange in the field of promoting and preserving traditional artisanal products including targeted local interventions while promoting the economic empowerment of women, the project started with a field outreach in Prizren across different villages and communities and visits to women and visits to women who craft traditional artisanal products, women-led businesses, and self-employed women. Two workshops followed, organized with women from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo as participants. One of these workshops was related to the promotion and branding of artisanal products and the second one on how to draft a business plan and attract investments. The regional conference held in Durrës, Albania with around thirty women from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo as participants, focused on the regional promotion of artisanal products and intangible cultural heritage by women.
“The support from the Western Balkan Fund helped us promote and strengthen regional cooperation” said Ms. Osmani while highlighting the participation of women from Kosovo, Albania and Serbia in the project, and moreover the diversity of their ethnicities and backgrounds, “Women and young girls from various ethnic backgrounds, from 20 to 65 years who are skilled in old traditional craft products and who were interested in start-up initiatives or self-employment were part of the project activities. These were single mothers, widowed, married, single women with different educational backgrounds, occupations and interests from Kosovo, Albania and Serbia and from different communities such as Albanian, Serbian, Bosniak, Turkish and Roma communities, more specifically old women” she added.
The stories of women involved in the project are featured in this documentary produced by Equality non-governmental organisation and its partners.
The Western Balkans Fund (WBF) is an international organization located in Tirana, Albania, founded by the governments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo *, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Its establishment, as an all-inclusive and regionally owned initiative, is considered as a clear sign of a new cooperative spirit taking roots in the Balkans. WBF aims to promote cooperation and the common values between citizens, civil society and people to people contacts, by providing funding for small and medium projects, in the following key areas.
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