Project duration: May – December 2022
UN Women in cooperation with the Municipalities of Kruja and Kavaja, as part of the post -earthquake recovery efforts, has initiated the intervention on women’s economic empowerment and support women artisans in the municipalities of of Kavaja and Kruja in handicrafts value chain. The intervention is implemented by the Albanian Network for Rural Development within the Gender Sensitive Post-Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction Project, supported by UN Women funded by the Government of Sweden.
This intervention aims at supporting women artisans in the municipalities of Kruja and Kavaja in handicraft value chain through engaging a number of women artisans affected by the 2019 earthquake who effectively and/or formally engage in employment or self-employment, participate in handcrafting value chains and markets, earn higher incomes, and enjoy economic security. In addition, the intervention will create opportunities for the involved women of working together in the handicrafts, ensuring the further development of the sector and the transfer of knowledge to the new generation nurturing the growth of the next generation of traditional craft artisans, the improvement of work processes, the increase of quality, differentiation and market promotion of their products.
Local women’s groups will be continuously supported in the processes of production, processing and marketing of artisanal and traditional products, starting from their organization as local groups. The program will support them with training and support through capacity building activities in marketing and handicrafts that will improve the technical and marketing skills of the artisan women resulting in improvement of their performance and representation in the local market and beyond. New artisans will be supported with the necessary equipment and materials to be involved and engaged in this sector.