Background of the Organization

The association “Woman Forum Elbasan” was established in August 1991 as a branch of the Independent Forum of Albanian Woman, re-registered in 1995 as a branch of the Independent Forum of Albanian Woman, Elbasan branch. It was registered as a separate association on 07.01.2000 with decision no. 4030 of the Elbasan District Court and re-registered on 10.07.2003 with decision no. 4030/1 of the Tirana District Court, in accordance with the law of non-profit organizations in Albania. Then the Woman Forum Elbasan was re-registered at the Tirana Judicial District Court with Decision No. 4030/2 dated 16.07.2015, and 4030/3 dated 21.07.2021.

Based on the statute, the organization is named “Woman Forum Elbasan” and it can also be known as WFE (acronym). The organization is formed as an association with membership. The organization extends its activities in the Elbasan District to all seven Municipalities of the Elbasan District as well as to the Rrogozhin and Kavajë Municipalities of the Tirana District, with the right to extend throughout Albania. The specific profile of the organization is that it is based on the issues and problems of women, especially those with problems of violence, different age groups, different levels of beliefs from urban and rural areas, as well as increasing the participation of women in public life, mainly in politics and in decision-making. Part of the target group of the organization are also men, since their presence in the problems of women and girls affects the treatment, mitigation and solution of problems according to the gender.

The organization has a good work experience for women’s rights, it has training, management and concrete service provider capacities. These capacities have been created step by step, year after year, taking into consideration the fact that the organization has given great importance to the training and qualification of the staff. In solving various problems, the organization collaborates and cooperates with many other organizations and with the local government. The organization is part of the national network AWEN, the Albanian Women’s Empowerment Network, as well as the European Network WAVE-Women Against Violence Europe.

Woman Forum Elbasan has been working for years with the Cooperation Agreement with the following structures:

• 7 Municipalities of Elbasan District (Elbasan, Librazhd, Prrenjas, Cërrik, Belsh, Gramsh and Peqin)
• Elbasan District Council
• Elbasan Local Police Directorate and Kavajë Police Station
• The regional directorate of the Elbasan Health Care Service Operator
• Elbasan Judicial District Prosecutor’s Office
• “Aleksandër Xhuvani” University Elbasan

In its beginnings, the organization had only one office given by the local government, and equipped simply with the contribution of its members and sympathizers. In order to organizationally and financially strengthen the association, as well as to increase the level of demands of women and girls, in 1992 and 1993 were created language courses such as English, French and Italian with approximately 140 women and girls. In order to increase the incomes in 1993-1995 were open driving lessons for the group “B” license with women, girls and family members.

In the following years, the income increased as a result of the implementation of projects with different donors. The Strategic Donor of Woman Forum Elbasan is the Swedish Government from 2000 until today 2022. Initially, funds were allocated through the Swedish Foundation Kvinna till Kvinna, and then through the AWEN.

Other important donors:

1. Delegation of the European Union to Albania
2. Council of Europe
3. United Nations organizations such as UNWOMEN, UNDP, UNTF
4. Austrian Embassy in Tirana
5. American Embassy in Tirana
6. Vienna Municipality through Horizont 3000

A thank you goes to all these donors but not only, because for 23 years now they made it possible for the Woman Forum Elbasan to provide three concrete services for survivors of violence, community awareness for equal rights and capacity building, especially for public actors. The increase of incomes made it possible to increase as well the number of full-time employees within the organization. In its beginnings, the association had only one full-time employee, while today there are 14 full-time employees with expertise in various fields related to women’s problems. During 2020-2021 thanks to the support of UN Women, Woman Forum Elbasan had a psychologist in 9 municipalities in Albania out of 61 in total.

The organization has a wide activity in:

1. Providing concrete services in favor of women and girls survivors of domestic violence;
2. Organizing awareness activities in the community for equal rights, but especially for the right to live without violence;
3. Capacity building among local actors.