Success Story: Women's economic empowerment

This approach involves facilitating personal connections between stakeholders and instituting structural supports for change. Workshops were held in Cerrik, Librazhd, and Pogradec to gauge community perceptions on women's economic empowerment. The workshops brought together over 100 women and men from diverse backgrounds, ages, and experiences, highlighting issues such as early childhood forced marriage, gender-based violence, and the phenomenon of "kinship care." The PLGP has begun work in Librazhd to establish a collaborative process between the municipal offices for employment and the business community. The primary objective was to provide women with an opportunity for active participation in local governance, ensuring their concerns and perspectives were reflected in the agenda of the local business sector. Participants discussed challenges faced by women and those in vulnerable populations, brainstormed potential solutions, and presented recommendations. An action plan and follow-up coordination meeting were set, resulting in 30 open positions for women's employment. Five women present in the activities will follow procedures to start working in these positions as a result of this open communication. The municipal labor office advisor stated that the collaborative dialogue between the municipality and businesses led to the identification of 30 open positions for women's employment. The meeting also resulted in a plan to include women's thematic issues in municipal council meetings and to open the floor for increased women's participation. The workshops, forums, and collaborative councils lay the foundation for tailored actions towards women's economic empowerment and increased labor market participation across partner municipalities. One unexpected positive result of the connection-building sessions was the employment of several women by another women-led business in Pogradec. Mukades, a local entrepreneur woman in the field of food processing, stated that she will exchange contact with the women and offer employment for some of them. This attitude of empowerment was also echoed in Cerrik by Shqiponja, age 30, who said, "We can't search and expect our rights, equality, and well-being from the men, we can provide them to ourselves." The PLGP's work in this area aims to provide sustainable structures beyond the life of the project, promoting women's economic empowerment and increased labor market participation. The PLGP's approach to women's economic empowerment involves a combination of grassroots and municipal-level initiatives. By facilitating personal connections between stakeholders and instituting structural supports for change, the PLGP aims to promote women's economic empowerment and increased labor market participation across partner municipalities. The work in Librazhd and Pogradec demonstrates the potential for collaborative dialogue between the municipality and businesses to lead to tangible outcomes, such as job opportunities for women. The PLGP's efforts in this area aim to create sustainable structures that promote women's economic empowerment and well-being.