Projects

Enhancing women's access to employment

Donor: Democracy for Development in Prishtina, Kosove with the funds of Norwegian Embassy in Prishtina
Overall objective: Increased participation of women in the labor market in the Kosovo and Albania through targeted advocacy in fighting gender discrimination, promoting decent jobs and implementing gender-friendly country strategies that improve the presence of women in the labor market.

Specific objectives:

Increase CSOs influence over policy making relevant for the position of women at the labor market and implementation of the decent job agenda principles.
Build capacities of community agents to enable an environment that promotes women economic empowerment and decent jobs.
Increase public awareness on the importance of inclusive labor markets.

Summary of teh first year implementation:

Labor markets in Albania are characterized by high unemployment and inactive rates, lack of implementation of decent job principles. Addressing inequalities between men and women allows for the establishment of a social order in which women and men share the same opportunities. The project aims to address discrimination in the labor market persistent in Kosovo and Albania - a problem that is hindering the activation of women in the labor market.

In the framework of the project, the following activities carried out:

December 2018-November 2019

Launched the call for proposals on the 11th of March 2019 on “Enhancing women access to employment"
Selected the 5 winning organizations
Launching Award Activity of the 5 Seed Grants

On Thursday 25th of April 2019, at the premises of the Social and Youth Centre, in Roskovec Municipality, Gender Alliance for Development Center (GADC) organized the first round of launching of the Five Seed Grants for organizations/groups of women. The regional project “Enhancing women’s access to employment” is a joint partnership between Democracy for Development (D4D), Kosovo and Gender Alliance for Development Center (GADC), Albania. The project is supported by the Norwegian Embassy in Prishtina. The 5 grants ideas/winners were: 1) “Increasing capacities of women and girls to produce artisan soap in the municipality of UraVajgurore”, by Social Change Initiative, Arsis; 2) “Empowerment of women farms in Luf, Qerret Puke”, by 5 women farmers in Puke; 3) “Rehabilitation of damaged traditional clothes, in Qelez, Puke”, by DakeGjoni, Puke; 4) “Needle women of Roskovec”, by Women, Community, and Environment, Roskovec; 5) “Engage women of Patos, by Center for Labour Rights, Tirana. This activity is greeted by the Norwegian Ambassador in Kosovo and Albania, H.E Ambassador Per Strand Sjaastad and the Mayor of Raoskovec, Majlinda Bufi. In the activity participated representatives from all the winners and women from Roskoveci municipality.

Steering Committee in Prishtina on the 28th 0f May. D4D and GADC, organized on May 28, 2019 in Prishtina the first meeting of the "Regional Committee to increase women's access to employment". This activity was realized within the framework of the regional project "Women's access to employment" The project is supported by the Norwegian Embassy in Pristina. The Regional Committee consists of Mr. Robert Gajda, Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination, Ms. Erinda Ballanca, Ombudswoman, Mrs. Merita Xhafaj, General Director, General Directorate of Policies and Development of Health and Social Protection, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Blendi Dibra, vice-president, National Council of Civil Society. Mrs. Albana Laknori, Secretary General of the Tirana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Milaim Morina, Executive Director, Policy and Advocacy Center Kosovo, Hilmi Jashari, Ombudsman, Shkëndija Loshaj-Krasniqi, American Chamber of Commerce, Rozafa Kelmendi, Project Manager, UN Women in Kosovo. The main purpose of this committee was to exchange information and recommendations on employment policies, to initiate and guide regional strategies and initiatives, which contribute to increasing women's employment.

Organized meeting with actors involved in social dialogue in Albania such as TUs, Business organizations and NGO representatives. These meetings were organized on the 11 and 12 of September. The meetings were addresed by the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Robert Gajda and Mr.Myftar Isai, representative of Trade Union in Albania. Present in this meeting were 15 persons. Many aspects of the labor market, its challenges, and difficulties were discussed in these two meetings.

Four workshops were organized in four districts of Albania. The main purpose of these workshops was to introduce women to basics concepts like gender and gender roles. A special attention was paid to women’s access to the labor market and more specifically on hat hampers them to enter the market. Participating there were employed, unemployed women, reaching a total nr of 77 women. They were organized in: