Your Story Inspires: Albanian Women Entrepreneurs Share Their Stories

Inclusive Employment of young women in developing countries like Albania is crucial for the sustainable economic progress. Based on the 2019 report of the National Institute of Statistics in Albania (INSTAT), the percentage of women owners or administrators in active enterprises across the country scored 25.4%, which is an improvement compared to the previous years. Despite the increasing trend, the numbers remain low and mainly come from small enterprises.

Many factors hinder women's and especially young women's entrepreneurial ideas from becoming real businesses. At RisiAlbania we are aware of the importance of networking and knowledge transfer from senior citizens to younger ones. This is how ‘Your Story Inspires’ Campaign was born. By bringing inspiring and yet realistic stories closer to the younger audience, the campaign encourages young women to take that first step towards creating their businesses.

RisiAlbania is an innovative youth employment project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, in partnership with Ministry of Finance and Economy and implemented by Helvetas Albania and Partners Albania.

Ensuring inclusiveness of vulnerable and socially excluded young women and men in the Albanian labor market is in the focus of all of the RisiAlbania interventions. Our target is that all individuals fully benefit from direct and indirect effects of our interventions. Companies and initiatives featured in the videos are led by women who have created inclusive youth employment opportunities in the country and who lead by their examples.

On the Youtube channel of the RisiAlbania project, you can find a video about the story of each woman. For example, Edona Bilali, co-founder of the AZ consulting firm in Tirana:

Or Gladiola Dona, founder of the Hospitality and Tourism Academy in Tirana:

Watch all 10 videos for stories of innovation, passion, struggle and hope.