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Dear colleagues, friends and cooperators,

Read more about our main activities, publications and the latest news from our work during September - November 2020, as well as some future initiatives.
 
FINANCIAL AND SUPPORT SCHEMES    
EMBRACE-ENTREPRENEURSHIP MODELS BUILDING RELATIONS AND CREATIVE ECONOMY is an initiative implemented in Albania, contributing to ☑️the advancement of the legal environment for social enterprises, ☑️support to existing and new SEs to tailor their products/services, and/or find their niche in the market by using the existing legal and institutional setup.

Product marketing, not limited to local communities but extended to the national and regional levels, has been the basis of discussion during mentoring sessions with the organizations benefitting from the subgranting scheme motivating/enabling/ensuring the continuance of their entrepreneur activity.

The struggles facing economic activity amid the pandemic and their impact on business stability remain a subject of discussion and brainstorming, in hopes of properly addressing these issues with the four new social enterprises supported. 

 
NEWS FROM ENTERPRISES SUPPORTED THROUGH EMBRACE

Made in Prison is a handicraft enterprise whose main goal is the empowerment and integration of women in conflict with the law. In only the first months of support, the enterprise has crafted over 46 products, training and engaging 13 women, thus securing them economic support. 

The ecotourism center established by Wellpoint is a social enterprise whose aim is to guide youth towards a healthy lifestyle, mainly through the practice of watersports. The center offers tourist packages that include canoe rides and standup paddle boarding, and has hired two youngsters as instructors. Find further information on the center activity here.

Drita Cleaning Service, a social enterprise established by the Voice of Roma in Albania organization, benefits the societal integration of Roma youth by providing them with job opportunities.

“Prej Durve t’Natyrës” trades in organic products from local farmers in Shkodër, thereby promoting healthy nutrition and supporting local economic development. Follow news on their activity.
 
FROM THE ACTIVITY OF ENTERPRISES SUPPORTED THROUGH THE GREEN BUSINESS COMPETITION 

Artisanal soaps and the first entirely natural luffa produced by Rinora Handmade, are now present in the market. 10% of the profit goes towards supporting victims of domestic violence.

Preserving the traditional craft of filigree as well as training and hiring women from the rural areas of Shkodër and Vau i Dejës comprises the foundation of Margjelo Filigran Albania's  activity.

Julvin Marku is producing Organic hazelnut oil from certified hazelnut fruit, and is cooperating with other farmers in Thumanë, Fushë – Krujë, thereby contributing to local economic development.

With support provided by Partners Albania, Kroi i Mjaltit has increased production up to 40%, expanding their market to outside of Albania.

While we take pride in our efforts to support local economic development through the founding and strengthening of Albanian startups and social enterprises, we deeply appreciate business contribution as an important additional value in supporting their economic stability. ONE Telecommunications is one of our partners and supporter of the Green Business Competition since its beginnings. Watch this promotional video for the local enterprises supported.
NORWAY CIVIL SOCIETY PROGRAM FOR ALBANIA AND KOSOVO 
Learn more about the initiatives of our grant beneficiaries within this program:

Albanian Disability Rights Foundation, following the establishment of 4 self-advocacy groups for persons with disabilities in Vlora, Shkodra, Elbasan and Tirana and the organization of community meetings, is providing training for public institutions at the local level regarding the implementation of the "Law on Protection against Discrimination and Persons with Disabilities".

Forumi i Mendimit të Lirë held a series of meetings with local journalists regarding the freedom of the media and the phenomenon of ready-made media materials produced by the press offices of public institutions and political parties. The input obtained through these discussions, as well as the monitoring of news in the main national media, will serve for the preparation of a national report that is expected to be published soon.

EuroSpeak, the online portal created by the European Movement in Albania, continues to offer a wide variety of informative elements such as: articles, infographics, video clips and summaries which cover the main issues of the country's EU integration process.

Albanian Helsinki Committee has contributed to raising the awareness of over 140 representatives of 10 municipalities in the country, through information sessions on the implementation of the Law "On whistleblowing and whistleblowers protection".

Institute for Democracy and Mediation has trained and engaged representatives of local CSOs who have monitored the transparency and accountability in 12 municipalities of the country and are currently presenting the monitoring findings to the respective municipalities.

REC Albania during this period has supported several schools in organising activities that help students understand lifestyles without carbon emissions, and has worked to increase the capacities of teachers to address climate issues in the school curriculum.

Qendra Sociale Murialdo continues to provide tailoring and loom training for 20 Roma women in Driza, while an even larger number of Roma women are participating in other trainings the center provides, on issues such as financial management, human rights etc.


LEVIZALBANIA ANNOUNCES THE WINNING PROJECTS OF CALL NO. 7  
Learn here about the winners of the Call no.7 of LevizAlbania.

 
PROJECTS UNDER IMPLEMENTATION  

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 here about the latest news from the Center's activity

SOCIAL REUSE OF CONFISCATED ASSESTS FROM THE ORGANIZED CRIME
On 23 November, PA held a discussion on the role and contribution of civil society in the fight against organized crime, part of a wide education and public awareness campaign on social reuse of confiscated assets from organized crime, undertaken by Partners Albania with the support of the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program of the US Embassy in Tirana.

With the participation of the diplomatic corps, civil society organizations and AASC, in the conference were presented and discussed various practices of civil society participation in the fight against organized crime such as awareness and monitoring, investigative media, services for victims of organized crime, and the use of confiscated assets in the service of the community. Watch here the video of the Conference on Facebook.
LOCAL FORUMS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS # ACT4STANDARDS          
Standards in the exercising of their activity directly affect the strengthening of CSOs and the improvement of the public image of the sector. The sector’s development stage as well as the decisive role played by CSOs in strengthening democracy, good governance, economic and social development, are associated with increasing their responsibility to beneficiaries and partners and the need for more efficiency and transparency.

This is the focus of the latest initiative implemented by PA, following its two decades work in the service of the non-profit sector. As part of this program, PA will assist CSOs in raising their work standards as well as in using alternative methods of fundraising, towards greater financial and organizational sustainability.

The 7 local forums organized that brought together about 100 representatives from the organizations across the country, discussed the current standards applied throughout CSOs activity, the challenges to achieve and maintain these standards and the needs for further improvement.

In December, PA will start the sector empowerment program to be followed by taylored individual assistance and mentoring at the organizational level for all CSOs that will express interest in participating.

The "Act for Standards - Building Trust, Accountability and Sustainability in Civil Society Organizations" project is supported by the Public Affairs Office of the United States Embassy in Tirana.
TRAINING AND ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS
Since October, Partners Albania is providing an assistance program to increase the effectiveness and quality of projects implemented by ten organizations from across the country, beneficiaries of the US Embassy Democracy Commission Grants Program.

The program consists of a series of trainings and technical assistance on organizational development issues, effective project management, effective communication with supporters and beneficiaries, and building effective advocacy campaigns.
#CAREER GUIDANCE- THE ROAD TO YOUTH EMPLOYMENT 
Partners Albania, part of the implementation consortium of RISIALBANIA together with Helvetas, is implementing an initiative aimed at establishing career guidance services at the municipal level through the mobilization of young people. The main purpose of providing Career Guidance Service at the local level is to target young people and to support their choices in education, training and professional development.

PA supported 9 coalitions of 27 local NPOs in 9 cities, in developing action plans on advocacy campaigns they will implementing in the upcoming months. Read more in this Information brochure.
STARTS THE 2nd EDITION OF "ACADEMY OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND NEGOTIATIONS - AIEN"
Participants from state institutions, civil society, business organizations and the media began their journey in this academy conceived in 12 different interactive modules.

At the launching event, Partners Albania, as one of the implementing organizations together with the European Movement in Albania, presented the earlier conducted study "Civil Society and the process of Albania's Integration into the European Union".

# AIEN2020 is supported by the Central Finance and Contracting Unit (CFCU) Albania.



YOUTH MOVEMENT - A NEW PAGE FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES is a four-year initiative of Partners Albania within the VASS program of LevizAlbania project, which aims to create a movement of young people across Albania, by educating them with a sense of voluntarism, activism, and responsibility, as well as strengthening the relationships between youth and local communities towards a stronger democracy.

➡️As part of Local Democracy Week (October 12-16, 2020), Partners Albania organized the “Youth Speak Up” event with the participation of students from several high schools in the country, local government and civil society. The 20 youngsters from the four winning groups as part of the Boot Camps organized earlier this year, shared with the guests their experiences on implementing community initiatives in Vlora and Shkodra.

➡️The youth camps returned again during October - November 2020, with the participation of 80 high school students from Durrës, Pogradec, Elbasan and Tirana.  Read more here
PHILANTRHOPY WEEK 2020
Partners Albania organized for the first time the Philanthropy Week 2020 !  A series of events took place from 9-13 November, including an online awareness campaign and promotion of philanthropic figures over the years, ✔️Discussion Forums with students, businesses, NGOs, individuals, ✔️ Facts & History on philanthropic activity in the country - monthly philanthropic activity monitoring report & donation history, Partners work on philanthropy in the media.  
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. 

BEST PRACTICES IN PROVIDING SOCIAL CARE SERVICES
Partners Albania and UNDP Albania organized the National Competition "Best Practices in Providing Social Care Services".
This event served to present and promote the 15 best practices in provision of social care services by municipal social care centers and civil society organizations. The practices were selected via a competitive process whereby 200 service providers were invited to submit their practices related to services for individuals, families and groups in need. The practices were evaluated based on several criteria, such as: quality and suitability of service, innovation, results, center ability, cooperation with other actors, the possibility for replication, etc.

These practices are part of the CATALOGUE OF BEST PRACTICES FOR THE PROVISION OF SOCIAL CARE SERVICES

At the end of the event, a special jury with members from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Ministry of Interior - Agency for Local Self-Government Support, Faculty of Social Sciences / Department of Social Work, UNDP and the program " Leave no one behind” awarded 6 best practices among the 15 presented. Click here to meet the winners
MEDIA - STUDIES - PUBLICATIONS  
MONITORING MATRIX ON ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT, REGIONAL REPORT 2019
In 2019, the Western Balkans faced socio-economic and political challenges, affecting the environment and operations of civil society organizations. The political environment in most countries remained unfavorable, especially towards civil society development.

Read more in the Monitoring Matrix Regional Report 2019, which summarizes developments in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Key findings and recommendations can be found here
Partners Albania was selected and engaged to prepare the case study for Albania on Effectiveness in COVID-19 Response. This Case Study Report is part of a global study on effectiveness in COVID-19 response compiled by the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness aimed to capture the application of effective development cooperation (EDC) principles in national and sectoral strategies and policies for Covid-19 response. Read here the study
AN ANALYSIS OF NEET AND VULNERABLE YOUTH  is a baseline study that provides an overview of policies for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), subgroups that fall within this category, and statistics related to NEET youth in Albania.
The study also provides an analysis of the legislative framework regarding the employment of youth from disadvantaged groups and NEET youth including strategies (for employment, youth and social issues), laws, directives, and support programs/measures at the national and regional level, at the same time presenting the quality of cooperation between different actors. Read it here

In the last four years the number of municipalities that have created youth structures has increased by 39.4%, while the NEET rate has decreased by 3.4% compared to four years ago. You can find these and many other facts in ➡️ THE MONITORING REPORT OF POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION OF YOUTH.

The report was prepared in framework of the #EmploYouth project which is implemented by partner organizations in Albania, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. The project is funded by the European Union. Find the report here 
Read here a brochure capturing the experience, challenges and achievements of the project “C.A.U.S.E. – CONFISCATED ASSETS USED FOR SOCIAL EXPERIMENTATION”.
Read here the CATALOGUE OF BEST PRACTICES FOR THE PROVISION OF SOCIAL CARE SERVICES selected via an open application process of public and non-public providers of social care services in all municipalities all over the country. 
Partners Albania is conducting a wide education and public awareness campaign on social reuse of confiscated assets from organized crime, part of an initiative supported by the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program of the US Embassy in Tirana.
Find more on the links below:


Read here an article talking about Partners Albania initiative to support the development of community foundations in Albania, part of our program on Philanthropic Activity and Support Infrastructure.
NEWS

DIESIS POLICY LAB
The first workshop of the series #DiesisPolicyLab focused on the Western Balkans region and how in joint efforts, we can strengthen Social Economy (SE) ecosystem and make regional collaboration a reality.
Partners Albania and other Diesis Members, organisations supporting social enterprises from Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, together with the representant of DG Near at European Commission led the conversation and discussed the state of play of Social Economy in the region, both in the light of Covid-19 and the EU-Western Balkans relations.

As part of her discussion, Partners Albania Director Juliana Hoxha shared some recommendations for the European Commission regarding funding schemes that include Albania, to be more accessible, diverse and inclusive for all types of social enterprises operating in Albania.

More on the #DiesisPolicyLab workshops aiming to bring two worlds closer together: the policy-makers and social economy actors active at the grassroot level, visit http://www.diesis.coop/

Partners Albania’s practice in the social re-use of confiscated assets from organized crime was presented and discussed as a model for Western Balkans,  at the OSCE workshops on Addressing Organized Crime and Corruption through the Re-use of Confiscated Criminal Assets in Albania.
These events are part of e series of workshops organized in the frame of a regional initiative of OSCE on strengthening the fight against transnational organized crime in South-East Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) through improved regional cooperation in asset seizure, confiscation, management, and re-use.
#DIASPORAFLET2020
Partners Albania was one of the speakers at the "Lightning talks" panel of the DIASPORAFLET2020 conference organized by Germin, which gathered together on a digital platform, participants from 26 countries around the world, for 3 consecutive days.
Erila Haska, Program Manager spoke about the support that Partners Albania has given to the social entrepreneurship ecosystem and about the latest initiative that will be launched soon in support of the startup community.
Partners Albania has over a decade of experience in developing and supporting the social entrepreneurship ecosystem through research, advocacy, funding, expertise and networking opportunities.

Dua Partner Invest platform is the newest initiative of Partners Albania in this regard, a tool that will serve the startup community with the opportunity of partnership and support from investors, from the region and beyond. Dua Partner Invest was inspired by dozens of amazing ideas and start-ups, who face the constant challenge of securing funds to put their ideas into practice.

The platform will function as a triangle consisting of consultants who will bring their expertise, investors who will provide capital, and entrepreneurs who will gain knowledge and access to funds, to jump into the market and scale up their operations.

Coming soon !!
 

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Partners Albania for Change and Development
Rruga e Elbasanit, Park Gate Building, 10th floor,
App. 71 / 73, Tirana
Tel: +355 4 2254881
Mob: 0697889600  

partners@partnersalbania.org
 http://www.partnersalbania.org