Partners Albania Newsletter "Towards a Sustainable Society"

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

EDITION NO. 67

SEPTEMBER 2018

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY In this issue: - The Civil Society Program for Albania and Kosovo launched

- EMBRACE - Entrepreneurship Models that Build Creative Relations and Economy page 1-3 - Inauguration of KeBuono, the first social enterprise in a confiscated asset from the organized crime page 4 - Financially viable civil society = Active civil society

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- Green Ideas 2018

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- Fiscal treatment of NPOs, assessment of legal framework and its implementation in practice - Monitoring Matrix on the Enabling Environment for CSOs, Country Report for Albania 2017 - Monitoring the Right to Free Assembly, Report for Albania page 7 2016 - 2017 - The NPO Academy 2017-2018 - The Partners Network annual meeting held in Tirana - Visit of representatives from the Government and Parliament of Kosovo

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- Making the labour market work for young people in Albania

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RisiAlbania project

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- Youth Bank Hub for the Western Balkans and Turkey

Partners Albania, part of the “Albanian Network for Financial Education” Monitoring of philanthropic activity in Albania Public participation and consultation at the level of local government in Albania

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- News from LevizAlbania project

Call for Proposals – The Civil Society Programme for Albania And Kosovo

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Partners Albania invites nonprofit organizations in Albania to apply for grants!

The ‘Civil Society programme for Albania and Kosovo’ is financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) in partnership with Partners Albania for Change and Development (PA).

The overall goal of the programme is to support the democratic participation and development of a strong and vibrant civil society in Albania and Kosovo, by supporting NGOs that advance the EU accession process through contribution to one of the following five thematic areas:

• • • • •

Non-discrimination and gender equality; Independent media; Minorities and marginalized groups; Environment protection; Anti-corruption.

Deadline for submission of project proposals is November 5, 2018 at 24:00 hrs.

To provide more information on the Call and application procedures, Partners Albania will organize several information sessions.

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Find here the Call and application documents

- Partnerships of NPOs and self-government: Together for more effective participation page 13 - Stronger CSOs for Transparency in Health - The Albanian Crowd, online platform of Albanian NPOs

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Latest news and publications

Readiness of CSOs for Revenue Generating Activities

Partners Albania for Change and Development has opened the first Call for Proposals, within the sub-granting scheme of the project EMBRACE – “Entrepreneurship Models Building Relations and Creative Economy”. This project is implemented by Partners Albania, in partnership with one Italian organization: Project Ahead, and funded by the European Union through the Delegation of the European Union in Albania. continues in page 2

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Who can apply?

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that fulfill all the eligibility criteria defined in the Guidelines for Applicants, whose object of activity is the socio-economic development of the local communities, mobilization of the work and expertise of local resources, social cohesion, linkages among people and communities, integration and employment, especially of the marginalized groups.

Indicative Budget available for this Call for Proposals: EUR 50,500 Number of Projects to be funded under this Call for Proposals: Up to ten projects will be funded under this Call for Project Proposals.

Duration of Sub-Grant Implementation: The duration for the implementation of the projects funded through this Call for

Proposals may not be less than 9 months nor exceed 12 months.

Size of Sub-Grant: The total project budget, for any project, requested under this Call for Proposals must be: Minimum amount: EUR 3000 Maximum amount: EUR 7000 Number of Projects financed under this Call for Proposals: An organization may submit only one (1) project proposal as the Applicant or as Co-applicant. An application may not have more than one applicant and one co-applicant.

Project proposal language: Project proposals must be prepared and submitted in the English language, in accordance with the published application forms.

Application procedures: Organizations interested to submit a Project Proposal for this Call must complete and submit the following documents which are available in the Application Package:

• • • •

Grant Application Form (Annex A in Guidelines for Applicants) Budget proposal Form (Annex B in Guidelines for Applicants) Logical Framework Form (Annex C in Guidelines for Applicants) Legal Entity Form signed and stamped (Annex D in Guidelines for Applicants)

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Financial Identification Form signed and stamped by the applicant and the Bank where the transactions are performed. (Annex E in Guidelines for Applicants) Also supporting documents in accordance with the Guidelines for Applicants.

Applications must be submitted by handdelivery or by mail, by 31st of October 2018, 17:00, at the address below: Partnerët Shqipëri për Ndryshim dhe Zhvillim Rruga: Sulejman Delvina, NR 18, H.8, Ap.12, Njësia Bashkiake 5, Kodi Postar 1022, Tiranë, Shqipëri Applications must be submitted in a sealed envelope by registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery (a signed and dated certificate of receipt will be given to the deliverer).

Information and support: For further information read/download Guidelines for Applicants Questions may be sent by mail within October 8, 2018, to ehaska@partnersalbania. org. The answers will be published within October 19 in Partners Albania website: www. partnersalbania.org.

Presentation of Entrepreneurship Models Partnership with Business Partners Albania organized on June, the event Presentation of Entrepreneurship Models - Partnership with Business in support of the creation and strengthening of social enterprises, as a driving force in the socio-economic development of the country.

Following the advocacy efforts for an enabling financial and legal environment for SEs, capacity building and technical assistance offering for NPOs, to undertake social entrepreneurship initiatives, PA organized this event to facilitate partnership building between the non- profit and business sectors, in support of these initiatives.

The event was addressed by Mr. Stephen Stork, Head of Operations Section I – Governance and Rule of Law, at the Delegation of the European Union.

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The project EMBRACE – “Entrepreneurship Models Building Relations and Creative Economy” aims to contribute to the development of social economy fostering inclusive development in the country. The specific objective of this Call for Proposals is: “Supporting the startup of innovative social entrepreneurship ideas or strengthening existing ones which contribute to increase social inclusion, through integration and employment, and economic development of the local community”.

Of the dozens of applications, PA selected three winning ideas that will get financial support during the LIVE event #GivingCircle, which will be held for the first time in Albania, in December 2018.

During these months, PA will assist the three selected CSOs to carry out a successful pitching of the project during the event. In addition, the selected initiatives will be widely promoted through all channels of communication, to attract the attention of potential supporters and to promote the implementation and the results of interventions.

“A kindergarten for the children of Bllicë village” Through this initiative, the organization Vizion will assist around 40 children attending preschool education, within the premises of the only 9-year school in the village Bllicë. Located in the north of the town of Peshkopi, at a distance of about 15 km, this village has about 2,200 inhabitants, with around 80% of the families depending on the state financial aid.

For all children of the age group 3-6, the Bllica kindergarten improvised near the school premises, is the only preschool education opportunity.

The floor has no tiles, there are no stoves, no tables or chairs suitable for the children’s body, there are no toys or other didactic tools for child development. This situation requires immediate intervention to turn these environments into optimal conditions for children education.

The “Giving Circle” event will bring together individuals from different fields, offering their expertise, time and financial resources to support the three projects, aiming a positive and sustainable transformation for specific individuals and communities targeted by the initiatives. #Giving Circle is part of the project “EMBRACE – Entrepreneurship Models Building Relations and Creative Economy”, funded by the European Union through the Delegation of the European Union in Albania, and supported by Balkan Trust for Democracy and the Frederick Mulder Foundation.

“Together for the people in need” Through this initiative, the organization Diakonia Agapes aims to expand and improve the quality of services for people in need who attend the Soup Kitchen “Service of Love”. Approximately 70 people will benefit from meals in the Kitchen; about 70 people will receive their meals at home for their family members; about 80 people will be supported with health services (Blood pressure measurement, health card assistance and psychosocial support), and about 20 people will be able to receive laundry services. These categories will be the direct beneficiaries of the initiative.

The organization also intends to increase the group of volunteers that will contribute to improving the services that will be offered for this category. Raising community awareness will also contribute to increased financial support and the continuity of the Soup Kitchen services.

Partners Albania continued the capacity building program through a series of training and mentoring sessions for the CSOs, to assess and improve their organizational readiness to engage in revenue generating and entrepreneurial activities.

The capacity building program was focused on Defining the marketing and sales strategy; Developing the marketing plan; Creating targets; How to

“Education of Roma and Egyptian children through sport” Through this initiative, the Association for the Protection of Egyptian Community Rights will develop and promote sports and educational activities through a team of 30 children from the Roma and Egyptian community (up to the age of 13), who are trained and play for the youth championship .

Lack of sports equipment, and of the financial means to train in the proper facilities has put the team in difficulties and has questioned its sustainability. This football team will create a positive example in the community and will promote a sense of representation for Roma and Egyptian community members, reducing the silent abandonment of school, minimizing bullism and promoting “fair-play” rules in the field and in life for the children who will benefit from this initiative.

pitch; Managing Clients and Reviewing the organizational needs and an action plan to meet the business model.

The mentoring sessions offered by PA and Project Ahead experts were an integrative part of the capacity building program, going in line with each training session delivered, and helped the CSOs in the development of their enterpreneurship initiatives.

The project “EMBRACE – Entrepreneurship Models Building Relations and Creative Economy” is funded by the European Union through the Delegation of the European Union to Albania.

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Partners Albania announced in June the call for applications for the #GivingCircle event, in support of NPOs who have an innovative idea or a concrete initiative to bring social change in the community, but lack financial resources or technical expertise.

Inauguration of KeBuono!, the first social enterprise in confiscated asset from the criminal activity Partners Albania organized on 7 July the inauguration ceremony of “KeBuono”, a social pastry established in Fier on a confiscated property from organized crime, by two civil society organisations; “Engim” and “Qendra Sociale Murialdo”.

CAUSE project, the first of its kind, can be seen as part of a larger mosaic, which is the successful implementation of the Justice Reform and the fight against organized crime in Albania, supported by international partners as well.

Being the first initiative of its kind in Albania and the Western Balkan countries, KeBuono will transform cooking and sweets into opportunities to stimulate social cohesion for disadvantaged people, thus enabling them to recruit and regenerate dignity and a role within society. It will support and reinforce the self-confidence by finding a job and building new human relationships to young people endangered by crime or assigned to the probation service and women victims of violence, divorced or married with men convicted in prison.

The inauguration ceremony was opened

by Mrs. Juliana Hoxha, Director of Partners Albania which thanked and welcomed the guests. “When we started this journey, it seemed like an impossible mission for many people. But we dared and here we are today with “KeBuono”, as a meaningful and concrete expression of success” – said Mrs. Hoxha.

The ceremony was greeted by Mrs. Romana Vlahutin, Ambassador of the EU Delegation

to Albania. “We are proud to witness how this has become a reality. It’s not about a bakery but about Rule of Law. All Albanian society must get involved to fight organized crime.

This courageous work sends out a clear message that what is stolen from society can and should be given back to society. The EU strongly supports use of confiscated assets for the social good.” – said Mrs. Vlahutin.

The ceremony was attended by Mrs. Vasilika Hysi, Deputy Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Mrs. Ogerta Manastirliu, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Mrs. Etilda Gjonaj, Minister of Justice, Mr. Besfort Lamallari, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Elton Haxhi, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy, Mr. Artur Kala, Head of the Agency for the Administration of Sequestered and Confiscated Assets, Mrs. Enkeleda Peshkëpia, Deputy Mayor of Fieri Municipality, etc.

In a panel discussion organized during the ceremony, they discussed on the issues and challenges on re-use of the confiscated assets from the organized crime for social purposes,

the legal framework and other related regulations on effective management of these assets from civil society organisations, the implementation of the Law on Social Enterprises, and the impact that such projects have in the fight against the illegal activities.

They welcomed the project and expressed their willingness and commitment to facilitate the replication of this innovative model through the legal and regulatory framework.

After the discussion, Mrs. Hoxha and Mrs. Vlahutin displayed the plaque of the project and invited the participants to visit the reconstructed premises of the pastry shop, by having the opportunity to also watch the images of the transformation of the property by the benefiting organizations through the support of CAUSE project.

At the end of the event, the participants tasted sweets and pastry products at a cocktail organized in the pastry premises.

Partners Albania is working to spread this successful model in other confiscated assets from the organized crime in other cities of Albania.

The project “C.A.U.S.E. – Confiscated Assets Used for Social Experimentations ” is funded by the European Union through the Delegation of the European Union in Albania.

Mapping of Social Enterprises and their Ecosystem in Europe Partners Albania is part of a research project that European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (EURICSE) and EMES Research Network are conducting, which consists in the Mapping of Social Entreprises and their Ecosystem in Europe supported by the EU, as an update of the study conducted in 2014 and 2016.

Partners Albania is carrying out the mapping social enterprises in Albania.

On June 5th, Erila Haska Project Manager of Partners Albania participated in the coordinators meeting with the scientific research from other countries, which was organized by EURICSE in partnership with the EMES network.

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The reconstruction of the property was carried out in the framework of the Project “C.A.U.S.E – Confiscated Assets Used for Social Experimentation”, funded by European Union and implemented by Partners Albania for Change and Development in partnership with Project Ahead , and in collaboration with the Agency for the Administration of the Sequestered and Confiscated Assets.

Financially viable civil society = Active civil society In continuation of its work towards strengthening civil society sector and creating an enabling environment for its development, Partners Albania organized in May the Conference Building Resilient NPOs in Times of Change – New Business Models.

The purpose of this event was to share national and international experience regarding the development of new business models for CSOs to generate revenues through building partnership with the private sector, for a greater impact on communities in which they operate. Part of the conference’s discussions were the global developments put in the Albanian context, as part of the country’s major political and economic agenda.

To address this issue, one of the conference sessions was dedicated to building of organizational resiliency, with the participation of Mrs. Julia Roig, President of PartnersGlobal and Mr. Alex Sardar, Director of Innovation, CIVICUS World Alliance for Civic Participation.

The conference was addressed by Mrs. Senida Mesi, Deputy Prime Minister of Albania and H.E. Mr. Donald Lu, US Ambassador to Albania.

PA finalized the series of trainings, assistance and NPO - Business meetings, for the second round of project beneficiaries. NPOs designed and developed services and products that could generate incomes for their organizations, as well as built bridges of cooperation and partnership with businesses.

From meetings with Telekom Albania and Grant Thornton Albania, where NPOs increased their knowledge regarding Business Plan Development /Marketing Strategy, preparation and negotiation of contracts for fee-for services / products; reporting obligations in the state etc.

As part of the program, Partners Albania experts have prepared a report built on a preliminary assessment that PA conducted prior to the start and design of the program. This report provides an Readiness overview of the situation in the sector regarding the provision of fee-forof CSOs services. The report assesses the level for Revenue of institutional readiness of civil society Generating organizations to be involved in design Activities and deliver of fee-for- services and products, as well as provides information on their nature and market segment they target. The study offers a series of inspirational cases from Albania and the world, including beneficiaries of this program, the process and the challenges they faced in conducting such activity. All the above is thought to incite and assist the civil society organizations sector before and during the process of designing fee- forservices and products.

This initiative is implemented by Partners Albania in framework of Civil Society Watchdog and Advocacy Program supported by the Public Affairs Office of the United States Embassy in Tirana.

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Representatives of government, national and international organizations, donor agencies, the private sector, media and other important actors contributing in creating an enabling and supportive environment for the not-for-profit sector in the country, participated in this event.

Green Ideas 2018 Every year, since 2012, Partners Albania invites individuals, social entrepreneurs, small business ventures and NPOs, to present their business ideas in an annual national competition, challenging each other in winning a start-up financial support of 800,000 ALL. This year’s competition took place on June 28th - 29th, 2018 in Tirana, where competed 20 ideas selected out of 35 applications, which met the criteria set in the Call: creating a small scale green economic enterprise in Albania, utilizing local resources and revitalizing traditions of production and community-based markets, in an environmentally friendly way.

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Before the competition, like every year, Partners Albania assisted interested applicants in the Business and Marketing Planning, through a two-day training provided by experts from Grand Thornton Albania.

After carefully hearing all presentations, a jury of experts selected three best ideas.

Aloe Vera (Saponaria) in Albania - from Albi Sulo (individual), who plans to create for the very first time an Aloe Vera Farm in a suburban area of Tirana, with the ambition to turn the cultivation of Aloe Vera in a successful and lucrative venture. This innovative local initiative is expected to be an incentive for a wider cultivation of this plant in Albania, making use of the abandoned land, and enhancing employment and wellness.

Pana Souvenirs from Pezana Rexha (social entrepreneurs) - an initiative which will create and develop a new line of unique products that aims to fully represent and identify Albania, the “Made in Albania” souvenirs, produced by recycling of pallets and wood residues. Its implementation will create new employment and training opportunities for people in need, as well as for children and youngsters with special needs.

Green Paths - Vjosa Explorer Association is going to create in Vjosa

valley (Përmet district) four green trails and a digital map with GPS marking, points of interest and all necessary information about the trails.

The creation and promotion of these trails is expected to encourage the inhabitants of eight villages involved in their itinerary, to adopt their homes into guest houses enabling them to provide accommodation and services for visitors, as well as to increase the production of typical local products relying on the raw material provided by nature.

The three winning ideas were given the opportunity to participate in the regional competition organized by the Balkan Green Foundation, in Macedonia, on July 18-20, 2018.

Winning ideas are being supported through a fund created with contributions from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Balkan Trust for Democracy, Credins Bank and Telekom Albania.

Besides the financial support, the new enterprises will be provided assistance and mentoring on issues related to the establishment and development of their enterprises.

The next competition will be organized around May 2019. We invite small ventures, organizations and individuals to apply with interesting ideas that will contribute to the development of local communities and economy.

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Enabling Environment – Sustainable CSOs Partners Albania prepared and published the Fiscal Treatment of NPOs - Assessment of National Legislation and Practice for Non-Profit Organizations in Albania. The report identify gaps in the current legal framework and challenges encountered in practice, as well as provides recommendations for further improvement.

Its findings and recommendations are expected to serve as basis for the PA work in cooperation with the sector, to address the necessary legal and practical changes as part of their advocacy efforts.

A positive development in this regard is the rediscussion of one of the most problematic

issues such as VAT reimbursement for project expenses supported by donors who have a bilateral agreement with the Albanian government, where EU programs take the major part.

As part of the efforts of a joint working group with representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the EU Delegation and the civil society represented by Partners Albania, it is expected a new procedure for reimbursement of VAT, that will facilitate and increase the range of organizations that will benefit, giving more guarantees for its implementation.

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Earlier, Partners Albania consulted the preliminary findings and recommendations of the study at a meeting with representatives of CSOs, state institutions and donors who discussed these issues and provided their opinions and experiences that further materialized the findings of the report. All participants agreed on the necessity to undertake concrete actions to address the issues with regard to the fiscal treatment of NPOs. This initiative is supported by IBON International through the CSO Partnership for Development Efficiency (CPDE) within the ” Advocacy on CSO Enabling Environment ” program.

Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development, Country Report for Albania 2017 FACTS: a 7,383 was the number of NPOs registered in Court by end of 2017; a 9,400 was the average number of employees in the sector.

And yet, the lack of a unified electronic register for NPOs (geographical distribution, form of registration, no. of employees and volunteers, sources of funding, income, etc.) makes it difficult to measure the impact and contribution of CSOs in the social and economic development of the country.

Regarding the legal framework and its implementation, it remains problematic, with several issues which are part of the Road Map for Drafting Policy and Measures for Enabling Environment for Civil Society 2013-2017, still remaining unsolved.

Read more on the Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development, Country Report for Albania 2017, prepared by Partners Albania. For the Albanian version of the report click this link.

Monitoring the Right to Peaceful Assembly, Report for Albania 2016-2017 Monitoring the Right to Free Assembly, Country Report for Albania 2016-2017 is now available also in Albanian.

The report presents an analysis of the legal framework governing the freedom of assembly in Albania, towards international standards in this area. This report was first published in English, in December 2017.

A positive development regarding this issue is a package of recommendations by the Ombdusman office, addressed to the State Police in July 2018, to improve the administration of peaceful assemblies and facilitate the procedures for organizing them. These recommendations are based on the findings and recommendations produced

by PA as part of this report.

In June, a team of Partners Albania attended a training on monitoring the right to peaceful assembly. The training held in Belfast was organized by the European Center for Not-forProfit Law (ECNL).

The new observation approach of the assemblies will be adopted by PA to bring it to the next monitoring report for 2018.

In September, Juliana Hoxha, PA Director attended the OSCE / ODIHR Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw. As part of the event Promoting Human Rights Complaint Assembly Policing Practices in the Western Balkan Region, Mrs. Hoxha presented the report on the monitoring of the right to peaceful assembly and the situation regarding the exercise of this freedom in Albania.

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NPO Academy 2017-2018

Partners Albania successfully completed the NPO Academy program for the fifth group of participants, representatives of organizations from all over Albania. Since 2015, through this program, over 75 leaders of organizations have gained knowledge and skills development, cooperation, networking and partnership opportunities with similar organizations at home and abroad.

At the closing conference of the program, participants of the NPO Academy throughout the years shared with the guests some of the benefits, personal and professional achievements and plans for the future. Also, during the conference was held the graduation ceremony for the participants of the NPO Academy 2017-2018.

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Read here an assessment report that evidences the concrete impact that the NPO Academy has had in increasing the quality of work and performance of

participating organizations.

NPO Academy was implemented by Partners Albania in cooperation with Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia (PDCS) in framework of the project “Pillars of civil society: More effective cooperation between civil and state sector in Albania”, financially supported by Slovak Aid - Official Development Assistance of the Slovak Republic.

Partners Network Annual Meeting held in Tirana Members of Partners Network, part of which is also Partners Albania, met in Tirana in May this year. Network Centers meet annually in one of the member countries, to share results and experiences, joint projects and cooperation opportunities for the future.

This year, the meeting was welcomed

by Partners Albania, and the Network representatives had also the opportunity to participate in the PA conference Building Resilient NPOs in Times of Change – New Business Models, sharing their experiences in implementing business models to generate revenues through partnership building with the private sector.

Visit of representatives from Kosovar Government and Parliament In June, a delegation from Kosovo, with representatives from the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and members of the Parliament, among whom Mrs. Besa Baftiu, Chair of the Committee on Health, Labor and Social Welfare, and Mrs. Flora Brovina, member of this Commission and Chair of the League of Writers of Kosovo, held a meeting at Partners Albania office.

Mrs. Juliana Hoxha, PA Director introduced the honored guests to the latest developments and some of the social entrepreneurship practices in Albania. Kosovo is currently in the process of reviewing the draft law on social enterprises.

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Making the labour market work for young people in Albania

www.risialbania.al

RisiAlbania is a development project aimed at increasing the employment opportunities of young people. It is a SDC project, implemented by a consortium of partners comprised of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and Partners Albania.

RISIAlbania has entered the second phase of the project. As part of the preliminary analysis and a study of the situation, one of the vulnerable groups identified was “internal migrants”, predominantly located in peripheral areas of Tirana such as Kamza, Paskuqani, Kashari and Farka. As part of the project, Partners Albania is carrying out a study entitled “Understanding Unemployment among Domestic Migrants in Kamza”, to find “entry points” for intervention by RisiAlbania to reduce the unemployment of domestic migrants located in these areas.

“Festa Lokale” - Promoting innovative ways of creating jobs 21 local festivals, 21 tourist destinations to discover in Albania this summer as part of “Festa Lokale” – a joint initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, supported by Swiss-funded project RisiAlbania.

The 21 festivals took place in villages all over Albania, from May to September 2018, as part of “100 Villages” initiative launched by the government of Albania. These festivals will become a tradition and a fixed event in the agenda of 100 villages initiative aiming at helping local businesses and tour operators to promote and better position their products and services over the years.

Research on Career Guidance Service Level at public and private universities in Albania RisiAlbania has set out a deep research to identify current status of career guidance service delivery at public and private universities across the country, with a special focus on gender and social inclusion. Based on the results of this research the project will identify opportunities for need-based tailored support by RisiAlbania for various identified stages of performance of Career Guidance service at universities. The project is also partnering with the Faculty of Social Sciences aiming at improving their master study program on career orientation, as the only education institution which prepares career advisers.

New media programs on career orientation A new Radio Program “Path to Success” is broadcast live from May 2018 on national radio station Club FM, every Tuesday and Thursday at 16:00 hrs. This special session brings live information on career and job orientation through the lens of humor and attractiveness, while interested media and media production companies are invited to design, produce and disseminate attractive, innovative, youth tailored products to inform young women and men on career orientation.

A new way of cooperation in MAPs sector through Cluster Risi is addressing post-harvesting practices in the MAP sector and in mid 2018, the first cluster was established in Tepelena by 12 MAPs actors (farmers, collectors, processors, local government and Albanian Food Industry representatives). 5,000 rural families in Tepelena region are involved in wild MAPs collection, while working together will improve the quality of products, expand markets and provide benefits to rural families.

Common idea introduced by Cluster’s members is the improvement of collection points, equipped with modern drying units.

Towards the creation and management of the Official Tourism Portal for Gjirokastra region RisiAlbania brought together tour operators, businesses, representatives from the local government and academia from Gjirokastra who agreed to create and participate in the management of a body which will be responsible for the Official Tourism Portal for Gjirokastra region. “This portal is the right tool that will bring us together and work for our common goal - promoting Gjirokastra as a tourism destination” – said Sadi Petrela, from Gjirokastra Foundation.

The portal will be managed by local stakeholders and supported by RisiAlbania.

ALBINFO special magazine edition on Albania’s alternative tourism RisiAlbania project has initiated an innovative collaboration between ALBINFO. CH, tour operators and businesses in Albania. The result is the first-ever magazine entirely dedicated to alternative tourism offers in Albania. Published in German, Albanian and French, its three sections are built around hiking, culture and adventure tourism products. “The special edition of Albinfo.ch, supported by SDC, through its RisiAlbania project, aims at introducing new destinations and tourism offers in Albania targeting mostly the Albania’s diaspora”, - said Dr. Bashkim Iseni, Albinfo.ch Platform Director.

Presentation of the study results “Estimation of Sectorial Job Multipliers in Albanian Economy” Risi Albania is providing useful insights for projects aiming at creating sustainable jobs and also for policy decision makers aiming at creating social and economic progress through the innovative study “Estimation of Sectorial Job Multipliers in Albanian Economy”. Risi brought together representatives from academia, Albanian government institutions, donor community and developing partners, opening discussions on ways how to increase the direct and indirect impact in 35 various sectors of the economy which were analyzed.

Introducing new innovative training programs RisiAlbania is supporting private training providers to diversify their offer by introducing innovative programs, accessible also for marginalized groups especially in remote areas, with a special focus on young women. While a Risi- partnered training provider developed four non - formal training courses in IT topics conceived as distant learning (webinars), a new provider out of Tirana, in Lezha it has stared the design of new courses on hotels and restaurants highly demanded from tourism businesses.

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Some of the project’s activities for this period were:

Youth Bank Hub for Western Balkan and Turkey

In framework of the ongoing monitoring of political, social and economic participation of young people in Albania, PA published in June the Monitoring Report for the period January to June 2018, which provides updated data on a predefined set of indicators as well as a

From the meeting among YBH4WBT partner organizations, April 2018, Montenegro

a comparison of the situation over the three years of monitoring. The report was previously consulted with interest groups and key stakeholders in youth issues.

In April 2018, PA representatives participated in the YBH4WBT partners’ meeting in Montenegro, where they discussed on projects received from youth organizations in each country, as well as their monitoring and evaluation process. Earlier, through an open application process, the Network selected three grantee organizations in each country, who will be the partners in implementing the YBH model.

Partners Albania together with the three grantee organizations from Albania (Youth

Act Center from Tirana, “Epoka e Re” Youth Center in Fier, and Social Center for Helping People in Need in Fushë Arrëz), participated in a study visit to Serbia, hosted by “Ana I Vlade DIVAC” Foundation, PA partner organization in #YBH4WBT project.

Representatives from Albania and the other four participating countries visited and met with officials from the Municipality of Obrenovac, the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Serbia, and were introduced to youth initiatives in Arandjelovac. They also attended a roundtable with participation of 20 organizations from Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Turkey, and Serbia, as well as representatives of the European Union and RYCO in Serbia.

From the study visit in Serbia, June 2018

Albanian YBH4WBT newest members benefited from a tailored training program provided by PA, on topics such as project management and financial procedures, advocacy and strategic communication, to increase their capacities and skills in the development and undertaking of advocacy initiatives to increase social, political and economic participation of young people in Albania and the region.

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The project Youth Bank Hub for Western Balkans and Turkey is being implemented since the beginning of 2016 by five partner organizations in Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey. It aims to improve youth participation in decision-making processes in the Western Balkans and Turkey, through capacity building of youth organizations, advocacy initiatives and awareness raising activities. The project is funded by the European Union.

Partners Albania, part of Albanian Network of Financial Education

Mrs. Juliana Hoxha, PA Director during the ceremony of signing of MOU for the establishment of ANFE network, June 2018

Securities Exchange ALSE, Junior Achievement Albania , Partners Albania for Change and Development and the National Youth Service. ANFE network will contribute to the advancement of financial education in Albania, to all age groups, entrepreneurs, and small and medium enterprises.

First meeting of ANFE, September 2018

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

In June 2018 was established the Albanian Financial Education Network (ANFE), through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Albanian Association of Banks, The Insurers Association of Albania, the Albanian Microfinance Association, the Association of Life, Pensions and Investment Funds Insurance, the Association of Securities Trading in Albania, the Albanian

Monitoring of philanthropic activity in Albania During June - September 2018, daily monitoring of philanthropic activity recorded 55 cases of donations, totalling 68,487,853 ALL. The main beneficiaries were Children and Young People while the main donors were Individuals.

As part of its work to promote philanthropy, since 2015, Partners Albania conducts daily monitoring of philanthropic activity in Albania, focusing on the supported issues, the nature and values of donation, geographical coverage and the nature of donors and beneficiaries.

Monthly and annual monitoring reports can be found on our website, in this link.

View on #Philanthropy is a quarterly bulletin with news and facts about philanthropic activity in Albania and abroad.

Read here the most recent edition of this bulletin.

Public participation and consultation at local government level in Albania

Current Situation, Challenges, Opportunities and Good Practices of Public Participation and Consultation Mechanisms

In framework of the Project Support to Territorial and Administrative Reform -STAR2, Partners Albania conducted an assessment aimed at providing a complete overview of the legal and regulatory framework, and positive experiences of public participation and consultation in order to identify problems, challenges in this regard as well as success factors.

Despite the positive developments in legislation in recent years, and the development of some good practices regarding civic participation and engagement in decision-making of local self-government structures, civic participation in decisionmaking and consultation with local communities remains low. Moreover, monitoring of effective public engagement and participatory decision-making at local level in Albania does not have a set of standard measurable indicators that lead to the performance management of this essential dimension for local democracy.

The STAR2 project aims to provide integrated support to all 61 LGUs engaging in activities along three main components, with a particular focus on: 1) Strengthening the institutional and administrative capacities of LGUs; 2) Improving the provision of services at LGU level including the reorganization of local service delivery; and 3) Increase of good governance through citizens-oriented participatory decision-making.

As part of the assessment, PA identified a number of good practices in the implementation of participatory and public consultation mechanisms in several municipalities such as Tirana, Vora, Shkodra, Fushë-Arrëz, Elbasan, Rroskovec, Kuçovë, Korça, Devoll, Selenicë.

units to a better implementation of the legal framework as well as the creation of effective standard practices that guarantee the public participation at local decision-making.

Following, Partners Albania will organize 28 trainings and workshops with representatives of local government units to empower them with regard to the above-mentioned issues.

The project Support to Territorial and Administrative Reform -STAR2 is implemented by the Albanian Government in partnership with UNDP in Tirana, with the support and cooperation of the European Union, the governments of Sweden, Italy, Switzerland and USAID.

The main goal is that this evaluation serves as a basis for drafting a guideline for public participation and consultation at the local level as well as establishment of a monitoring system to assist all local self-government

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www.levizalbania.al LevizAlbania is a project that aims to strengthen the local democracy in Albania through the engagement of civil society actors and individuals as the champions of democracy. It is implemented by a consortium of three organizations: Open Society Foundation for Albania, Partners Albania and Co-Plan, and financially supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Albania.

Strengthening civil society organizations for effective inclusiveness and participation in policy and decision making In support of LevizAlbania, in order to address the needs of beneficiaries and interested applicants, PA is offering a wide assistance program online and onsite, supporting networking in territories larger than those in which CSOs operate, and their expertise to successfully advocate in the local decision-making.

To guide and support the project grantees, based on their needs and challenges encountered during implementation of their initiatives, Partners Albania provided individual coaching sessions for 14 beneficiaries of the 4th Call of LevizAlbania.

From the online training in Cooperative Planing, 29 June 2018

Local Democracy Camps is the PA latest initiative within LevizAlbania project, aiming to increase skills and activism of young people, to contribute to the improvement of local democracy in their home cities.

Following the camps organized earlier in Korça and Shkodra, PA organized on 8-10 May, the Local Democracy Camp in Vlora. The camp, attended by 23 young people, was part of the activities organized within the Local Democracy Week 2018 of LevizAlbania.

During the camp, participants were introduced to successful local and international experiences and practices. Mrs. Alketa Dhimitri from Vlora Youth Center, one of the grantees of LevizAlbania shared her experience and work with young people. Mrs. Katica Mihajlovic, Project Manager of the Association for Democratic Initiatives (ADI) from Macedonia, joined the Camp virtually, sharing her organization’s experience and concrete initiatives implemented

by ADI, aimed at increasing community participation in decision-making processes, involvement in monitoring the process of decentralization in Macedonia, and in particular the participation of ethnic minorities in the political and economic sphere and the establishment of cooperation among municipalities and communities.

#LocalDemocracyWeek2018 During May 7-11, LevizAlbania organized #JavaDemocraciseVendore2018 (Local Democracy Week 2018), a series of debates, forums and other activities to tackle project achievements and challenges faced by civil society actors during implementation of concrete initiatives supported by LevizAlbania.

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TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

During May - June 2018, Partners Albania organized two online trainings in Advocacy and Lobbying and Cooperative Planning, with the participation of 19 representatives of CSOs, individuals and beneficiaries of LevizAlbania grant scheme.

Partnerships of non-governmental organizations and self- government: Together for more effective participation Since January 2018, Partners Albania is implementing the initiative Partnerships of non-governmental organizations and self- government: Together for more effective participation aiming to strengthen civil society organizations and local government representatives in using mechanisms that influence policy-making and effective local decision-making. The program consists of a series of trainings and individual assistance for NPO leaders and LG units, as well as exchange of experiences with international experts.

Two of these programs were led by Ms. Karolina Mikova, Executive Director of PDCS and Mrs. Zora Pauliniova, expert trainers with over 20 years experience in the field.

In response to the consultancy needs of participating organizations, PA experts conducted three online trainings and 11 individual assistance sessions in these issues.

The project “Partnerships of non-governmental organizations and self- government: Together for more effective participation” is implemented by Partners Albania in cooperation with PDCS and is financially supported by Slovak Aid – Official Development Assistance of the Slovak Republic.

Stronger CSOs for Transparency in Health PA prepared and delivered a capacity building program for 20 patients’ organisations, those working in the health sector and/or contributing to transparency in the health sector from Tirana, Lushnja, Fier, Kukes, Shkodra, Saranda, Pogradec, Berat, Elbasan, Durres, Peshkopi, Tropoje, and Korça.

The program consisted on three training modules Community Mobilisation, Role of Civil Society in Fighting Corruption and Advocacy and Lobbying.

Under the facilitation of PA experts, the participants identified concrete problematic

issues with regards to the health system in Albania, such as lack of transparency with regards to budgeting and expenses of the Health Centers, poor implementation of Standards in the primary Health Care Centers, and inappropriate assessment of disability. During the trainings, they worked to prepare community mobilization plans, identify anti-corruption strategies, and design advocacy plans to address the identified issues.

The project will continue with assistance and coaching sessions to the participating

organisations, to finalize their Advocacy Plans for an increased role and contribution of CSOs for increased transparency and the fight against corruption in the health sector, in close collaboration with oversight bodies, as the Ombudsman, HSA, and HIDAACI. “Stronger CSOs for Transparency in Health” initiative is financially supported by the Transparency in Health Engagement Activity project that is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

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TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

In June, the first Participatory Governance training program was organized for 15 local government representatives from the municipalities of Korça, Devoll, Maliq, Pogradec, representatives of the Regional Council and the Korça Prefecture.

During this period, Partners Albania organized eight two-day trainings in Tirana, Vlora, Korca, Elbasani and Kukës focusing on Advocacy and Lobbying, Cooperative Planning, Participatory policymaking and Participatory Governance, from which benefited 128 civil society representatives.

Join and update information of your organization in

The Albanian Crowd www.thealbaniancrowd.org The Albanian Crowd is an interactive Online platform of Albanian NPOs and

social enterprises. The platform provides comprehensive information on the location, scope of work, areas of activity, beneficiaries, services the organizations and social enterprises offer and projects they are working on.

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

The Albanian Crowd provides the opportunity for its members to share the most recent updates about projects and activities, identify potential project partners and recruit volunteers and supporters.

It also serves the institutions and individuals from the public sector, business community, media, international organizations and donors who will find in it dynamic information, partners and services needed.

The platforms supports already 150 member organizations from across the country, operating in different fields. Since it was launched, the platform counts over 21,000 visitors, more than 2.5 million hits from nearly 150 countries from all continents.

All interested groups can join the platform by completing the Online registration form at the following link: http://www.thealbaniancrowd.org/aplikimi-en/ We invite the organizations already members to send us continuous updates to publish in the platform.

Partners Albania is an independent Albanian NPO established in 2001, working to support civil society and facilitate inter-sector cooperation in order to strengthen democratic institutions and advance economic development.

Partners Albania is a member of Partners Network, a partnership of 22 independent, local organizations in Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East working for peaceful and democratic change.

Rruga Sulejman Delvina, N.18, H.8, Ap. 12, 1022, Tirana, Albania, PO Box 2418/1 Tel. Fax: 04 2254881 Email: partners@partnersalbania.org http://www.partnersalbania.org Follow us on: Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube, Twitter Visit The Albanian Crowd, the online platform of NPOs and social enterprises in Albania

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