Copy
 
Dear colleagues, friends and cooperators,

Read more about our main activities, publications, and the latest news from our work during October - December 2021.
 


  STANDARDS4NPO.AL 

standards4npo.al is the newest online mechanism helping organizations to conduct a preliminary and rapid evaluation of their standards and work practices, as well as providing suggestions for improvement, conform to the principles and commitments of the Code of Standards, a set of 4 basic principles and 7 commitments which aims to guide the way organizations operate and take action to improve the results of this work in the future.

The development of standards4npo.al platform was part of the activities of "Act for Standards - Building Trust, Accountability and Sustainability in Civil Society Organizations" project, supported by the United States Embassy in Tirana.

▶️ START THE EVALUATION
 
FINANCIAL AND SUPPORT SCHEMES    

   THE CIVIL SOCIETY PROGRAMME FOR ALBANIA AND KOSOVO 

On November 5th, we had the pleasure to have with us Mr. Henrik Width, Deputy Head of Mission of Royal Norwegian Embassy in Prishtina, in a meeting with the organizations supported through the 3rd Call of the "Civil Society Programme for Albania and Kosovo" implemented by lead organization KCSF in partnership with Partners Albania. The projects supported through this round with a total fund of EUR 128,000, will contribute in the following thematic areas: Nondiscrimination and marginalized groups; Independent media; Environment protection; and Anti-corruption.
Since 2018 within this Programme, Norway has supported 46 projects in Kosovo (27) and Albania (19) with a total of about 1.5 million EUR.

 SMILE.AL 

SMILE.AL is the first crowdfunding platform in Albania that aims to support community projects through the contribution that comes as a result of mobilizing financial resources but not only, from individual and institutional donors in the country. The platform is an initiative of the Credins Foundation, in partnership with Partners Albania, Vodafone Albania Foundation, and Grant Thornton Albania.
As part of its work to increase the standards of CSOs, Partners Albania provided mentoring and individual technical assistance to NPOs, on the design and implementation of Crowdfunding campaigns, as well as in preparing the application for their campaigns on the platform. 

➡️  Support the projects

 IDEA FROM ALBANIA "PERMETI'S YUMMY TREASURES" - WINNER AT THE BALKAN GREEN IDEAS REGIONAL COMPETITION 

"Përmeti's Yummy Treasures", one of the winning businesses of the 2021 National Green Business Competition, was also the winner of one of five awards at the Balkan Green Ideas Regional Competition organized in Belgrade in October.
The regional competition organized annually for 10 years now, gathers the winners of national competitions from Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece, to compete for additional funding for their startups.

Click here to know more about the regional competition and this year's winners

 SUPPORT FOR STARTUPS 
 
Partners Albania, together with 10 new startups and green businesses supported through its entrepreneurship and social innovation program, were part of the Tirana International Fair organized by Klik Ekspo Group on December 1-4. Participation in the fair presented an excellent opportunity for these startups for promotion in the market and the establishment of new business connections.

Part of the activities of the second day of the fair was a presentation of the Dua Partner Invest platform, one of the most important initiatives of Partners Albania in support of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Western Balkans.
PROJECTS UNDER IMPLEMENTATION

  ACTIVITIES OF THE 
 NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTRE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY IN ALBANIA 

The National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania is a platform for the development and cooperation of civil society at the national and regional levels. The initiative is funded by the European Union and implemented by Partners Albania in partnership with the Albanian Center for Population and Development (ACPD) and the European Movement in Albania (EMA).

➡️ Read more on NRC activity here

  # ACT4STANDARDS - INCREASING CSO STANDARDS  

185 representatives of CSOs throughout the country (Shkodra, Lezha, VauDeja, Vlora, Fier, Selenica, Berat, Ura Vajgurore, Kuçova, Korça, Pogradec, Librazhd, Kukës, Tirana) were part of 14 training programs and discussion sessions organized by Partners Albania in recent months, as part of the # Act4Standards initiative, a program for empowering the sector in raising their work standards as well as in using alternative fundraising methods towards greater financial and organizational sustainability. 

During the trainings, we focused on the introduction of the Code of Standards for CSOs and the discussion of good practices of organizational standards and their implementation in the activity of CSOs.

 CREATING EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CIVIL SOCIETY AND BUSINESS 

Partners Albania organized 4 regional NPO-Business Speed ​​Dating events aiming to create bridges of cooperation and explore concrete opportunities for partnership between the two sectors.

49 representatives of local businesses and NPOs from across the country gathered together at the regional event in Tirana, which was addressed by Mrs. Amanda Roberson, Deputy Public Affairs Officer at the United States Embassy in Tirana.

Other events were organized in Korça, Shkodra, and Vlora, with the participation of 90 local businesses and NPOs from these regions.

 FIRST MEETING OF THE OVERSIGHT GROUP FOR THE NPO SECTOR TERRORIST FINANCING RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 

Following its initiative to ensure the active engagement of civil society in efforts to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing in Albania, as well as to advocate for an enabling environment for the operation of NPOs within the AML / CTF, during 2021, Partners Albania in partnership with the General Directorate of Taxation, started the process of drafting the Terrorist Financing (TF) risk assessment methodology in the NPOs sector, which will help identify those categories of NPOs that can be at risk of being affected by terrorist financing, understanding the nature of the risks to NPOs, and reviewing the adequacy of measures in order to take proportionate and effective action to address the identified risks.

This process is being implemented through a structured and participatory approach with NPOs, religious communities, and responsible state institutions.

The first meeting of the Oversight Group was organized on December 3rd, where members were introduced to the background and context of TF risk assessment in the NPOs sector, the methodology, and the process. The Oversight Group members are representatives from public institutions and the NPOs sector, such as: The General Directorate of Taxation, The General Directorate for the Prevention of Money Laundering, Tirana District Court, General Prosecution Office, The State Committee on Cults, General Directorate of State’s Police, The Coordination Center for Countering Violent Extremism, The Interreligious Council of Albania, The Muslim Community of Albania, Women’s Center “Hapat e lehte”, SCiDEV Center, the Arsis-Initiative for Social Change, and Dorcas Albania Foundation. 

➡️ More on this initiative is available here

 MAKING THE LABOR MARKET WORK FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN ALBANIA 

RisiAlbania project hosted in November an event to showcase results, impact and discuss future common challenges, in the presence of more than 100 representatives of public and private institutions in Albania. The event was addressed by H.E. Adrian Maitre, Swiss Ambassador to Albania, Mrs. Mirela Kumbaro Furxhi, Minister of Tourism and Environment, and Mr. Arlind Gjokuta, Secretary General at Ministry of Finance and Economy, and Mr. Jens Engeli, Regional Director for Eastern EuropeEaster Europe - Helvetas.

RisiAlbania project works to create more and better job opportunities by working on 3 main directions, i.e. development of the private sector in Albania, introduction, and improvement of career guidance services and intermediations, and finally skills development to match demands from businesses.

➡️ Read more on RisiAlbania work

 REGIONAL EVENT 
“A CLICK AWAY FROM ENTREPRENEURSHIP!”

In the regional event “A CLICK AWAY FROM ENTREPRENEURSHIP!” organized in October, we brought together about 70 participants representing all the stakeholders of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem from 6 Western Balkan countries.
The audience had the chance to hear about the plans from impact investors in the Balkans and what they expect from startups they want to invest in. 
Representatives of the EU Commission DG GROW and Regional Cooperation Council discussed with the audience the opportunities, supporting mechanisms and the important role startups and new enterprises can play in the region’s future economy and society.
Government representatives from 6 Balkan countries exchanged their work to support the SE environment in their respective countries and the upcoming plans regarding the field.
The forum served also as the official launching of the Dua Partner Invest.

➡️ Read more here

 #WORK4YOUTH 

WORK4YOUTH is an initiative of PA that aims to contribute to increasing employment and promoting social inclusion of young people in the cross-border area Albania - Montenegro, by creating an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs to start their own businesses..

In November, in Shkodra we held the Cross-Border Forum for Future Cooperation which served to increase cohesion, exchange, networking, and partnership between young entrepreneurs from the cross-border area, through group work, suggestions, and recommendations of experts to further improve the ideas of as well as the introduction of support opportunities such as loans or support platforms (Dua Partner Invest).

While in December, in Podgorica we organized the Business Ideas Pitching Event, which demonstrated the development of 14 young entrepreneurs from Albania and Montenegro, from the initial idea to ambitious business plans, ready to be presented to potential investors and supporters. During group discussions with institutions, organizations, investors, and partners, they established links for further support and cooperation. Work4Youth will continue to support these entrepreneurs to realize their dream!

➡️ Read more on Work4Youth initiative

 SUPPORT FOR GRANTEES OF RISE - ALB 
 
In December we provide training and mentoring in support of grant beneficiaries of the RISE-ALB project where Partners Albania is one of the implementing organizations. The training served to assist these enterprises in how to develop their marketing campaigns, showing all the necessary steps for the successful realization of a marketing strategy, with a special focus on marketing channels and digital marketing.

 REGIONAL POLICY FORUM "YOUTH EMPLOYABILITY IN TIME OF COVID" 

Youth Hub Network for Western Balkan and Turkey (#YHNWBT) organized on 15th - 16th December in Tirana, the Regional Policy Forum "Youth Employability in time of COVID". 
The forum brought together representatives from government and public institutions in charge of the youth and employment issues, national statistic offices, researchers, youth organizations, young leaders, experts, and media from Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.
It presented a great opportunity to discuss the improvement of the position of young people and the development of a legislative and institutional framework for the implementation of youth policy at the national level. 
The network members shared the 2020 Youth Participation Index, an annual monitoring report that provides an overview of the political, social, and economic participation of youth in these countries, through a unique set of indicators.

 YOUTH MOVEMENT - A NEW PAGE FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES 

We concluded in November the series of Youth Camps for 2021, within the initiative Youth Movement - A New Page for Local Communities, which aims to empower the voice of young people, promote activism as well as create role models for young people. 
Eight youth camps were held in 8 schools in 5 cities - Fier, Lushnja, Patos, Ballsh and Berat. About 160 young participants developed 21 interesting ideas from which 8 winning ideas were selected.

➡️ Find more on this initiative


 PHILANTHROPY WEEK 2021 

We organized again this year the Philanthropy Week! This activity which is becoming a tradition, comes in the framework of Partners Albania's ten-year work for the promotion and development of philanthropic activity in the country, appreciating the importance it carries for the advancement of society.
During November 8-12 we held a series of events such as ➡️ Promotion of philanthropic figures over the years, ➡️ Open lecture with students of journalism, ➡️ Video, photo and essay competition with high school students, ➡️ Facts & History on philanthropic activity in the country through the monthly philanthropy monitoring report, and ➡️ Media promotion of our work in this area.

 MONITORING OF PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY IN ALBANIA 

As part of its work to promote philanthropic activity, Partners Albania has been monitoring it since 2015, based on the information gathered from media reports, and information published by public and non-public institutions. The findings highlight the main causes supported, the nature and value of donations, geographic coverage, and the nature of donors. Visit our website where you can find all monthly reports and annual overviews since 2015. 
MEDIA - STUDIES - PUBLICATIONS 
 
 MONITORING OF POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION OF YOUTH 
COUNTRY REPORT 2020 FOR ALBANIA 

This monitoring report was prepared as part of the WB&T for EmploYouth project, funded by the European Union. The project is implemented by Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation (Serbia), Community Volunteers Foundation (Turkey), Partners Albania for Change and Development (Albania), Prima Association (Montenegro), and Youth Alliance (North Macedonia).
Read here the report:  ➡️  English    ➡️  Albanian
 
 YOUTH PARTICIPATION INDEX 2020

Youth Participation Index (YPI) is a unique method for measuring and providing insights on the young people’s opportunity to get involved in the decision-making processes, their access to the labor market, and their participation in social life. It comprises of 22 political, economic and social participation indicators and spans over a 5-year long data series (2016-2020) gathered in five countries, by the members of Youth Hub for Western Balkan and Turkey.

➡️ Read here the YPI 2020 
OTHER
 
RESILIENCE +

In the frame of the Resiliency+  initiative, Partners Albania as part of the international coach’s team of Partners Global is working with a group of organizations from Tanzania. 
We are happy to be part of this global initiative and look forward to its implementation and results of the organizations we have been working with. PA will start in 2022 the replication of this model in Albania aiming to increase the capacities of CSOs to anticipate, prepare for and respond to the risks and threats posed by a changing civic space.

On December 1-3, about 70 coaches and representatives of organizations from Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Serbia, Tanzania, and Ecuador, gathered in a three-day global networking and learning event. The aim of the event was to reflect on trends in the civic space, at both country and cross-regional levels, and share experiences and lessons learned on the R+ Process. 

 GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK

As one of the key actors in supporting the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country, Partners Albania was part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week, a series of events in the field of academia, entrepreneurship, startup ecosystem, and women entrepreneurs.

Through its entrepreneurship and social innovation program, Partners Albania offers a special contribution in this area, through ➡️ research, ➡️ stakeholder education, and ➡️ support mechanisms for start-ups by providing funding, know-how, and networking opportunities (Dua Partner Invest Platform).

 WESTERN BALKANS BUTTERFLY INNOVATION & BUSINESS FORUM 

The first regional Butterfly Innovation & Business Forum held on December 16th - 17th, focused on displaying successful start-ups, established innovative companies and early-stage innovative teams from the Western Balkans, adding visibility to their efforts and networking with potential investors.

As a speaker in the Beyond Tech: Social Innovation in the Western Balkans panel of this Forum, Klotilda Kosta- Director of Programs at Partners Albania shared Partners Albania experience in the field, focusing on the concept of social innovation, developments, challenges, and its future in the region. Panelists concluded that “social innovation is not just a trend, it will stay with us for long and all stakeholders should contribute and cooperate to co-create joint solutions”.

➡️ Watch the panel discussion here

 #NAD2021

Partners Albania joined this year as well the activism fair #NAD2021 organized on the National Activism Day. Through its programs, Partners Albania works and contributes to the empowerment of civil society organizations and the increase of their role as agents of change in the development of local communities, as well as promotes youth activism by supporting young people in implementing community initiatives in cooperation with local communities, local government institutions, educational institutions, local NGOs and the media.
 
 PARTNERS NETWORK ANNUAL MEETING 
 
Members of the Partners Network from around the globe met virtually during November 16-18 for their annual gathering, sharing among colleagues the challenges of yet another difficult year, as well as joint efforts in addressing them and achieving objectives that unite us. #PartnersNetwork

 #20VJETPARTNERETSHQIPERI 
 
We proudly celebrated our 20th anniversary in 2021! 
If you didn't have the opportunity to check out some facts and main achievements of Partners Albania in 20 years, visit the link on our website. Thank you for your trust!

FOLLOW US ON 
Facebook: @partnersalbania
Instagram: @PartnersAlbania
Twitter: @PartnersAlbania
Youtube: PartnersAlbania
Linkedin: Partners Albania for Change and Development


Partners Albania for Change and Development
Elbasani Street, Park Gate Building, 10th floor
App. 71 / 73, Tirana
Tel: +355 4 2254881
Mob: 0697889600  
partners@partnersalbania.org
 http://www.partnersalbania.org