The role of the third sector in Albania has grown substantially since the country’s transition to a democratic system began in 1991, albeit at an uneven rate. Prior to 1998, sustainable initiatives and large-scale community support projects were hindered by relatively low institutional capacity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), their concentration in major cities, and a negative attitude toward volunteer work inherited from the communist regime. Only during and after the Kosovo refugee crisis in 1999 did local NGOs expand the service provision to their constituencies. Currently, more than 800 local NGOs are registered in areas such as democracy, women’s leadership, social services, health, business and environment. Although these NGOs are increasingly offering new services, in general they still lack the institutional capacity to fully meet community needs and involve constituents in civic life.

In 2001, Partners and Partners-Albania collaborated on the most comprehensive nationwide needs assessment of the NGO sector in Albania ever conducted. The goal of the assessment was to measure organizational capacities, identify NGO strengths and weaknesses, and design a program that would build institutional capacities, thus allowing for a more efficient provision of services. Partners-Albania conducted a series of interviews with more than 130 local NGOs representing diverse areas and 24 large and small cities across the country, such as Tirana, Shkodra, Kukes, Gjirokastra, Korca and Vlora.

At the conclusion of the assessment, Partners-Albania published a comprehensive Needs Assessment Report as well as a Directory of Albanian NGOs. The documents provide an impressive compilation of information on the number of NGOs in Albania, their geographical distribution, focus, types of activities, sources of funding, size and organizational structure, cooperation with private and government sectors, and financial sustainability. Partners-Albania has disseminated them to international organizations, local NGOs, donors and government institutions. Most importantly, the Assessment revealed specific needs of Albanian NGOs in important areas such as: managing and planning projects, developing trainings, ensuring community participation, resolving conflicts, collaborating with government and private sectors, and achieving financial sustainability. (Please refer below for access to both documents).

In response to these needs, and under support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, Partners and Partners-Albania jointly designed a unique Grants Program that provides financial and technical support to NGOs that serve underprivileged communities throughout the country. Through the Grants Program and subsequent technical assistance tailored to the specific needs of the grantees, Partners-Albania’s impact on strengthening the third sector has been far reaching. Staff worked with each organization to design project implementation plans, provided trainings and technical assistance in project and financial management, and followed up with detailed evaluation of project outcomes. Partners also mobilized experts from its international partnership of Centers to develop and deliver trainings in specific areas.

To date, more than 380 organizations providing direct social services have applied for support, and the program has resulted in the successful implementation of over 44 projects. In turn, these projects have provided a range of social services to hundreds of disadvantaged peoples across Albania. Projects have included the development of small businesses, counseling centers for victims of violence, human rights education programs for police, new community mediation centers, resolution of land ownership issues, employment trainings for people with disabilities, minority integration projects, and work with daycare centers, schools, and orphanages. Many grantees succeeded in influencing national legislation on various social services issues, and all have established collaborative networks with other organizations and improved their ability to advocate for community services.

Highlights from projects under Partners-Albania’s Grants Program have included (please refer below for additional information):

Providing Employment and Support Services to Persons with Disabilities, Albanian Disability Rights Foundation (ADRIF)
Persons with disabilities are nearly invisible in Albania. Their problems are ignored and misunderstood by society, and over 60% live below the poverty level. Further, the government does not provide equal opportunities for their integration by passing new laws or providing additional services. According to a recent study, more than 7,000 wheelchairs are needed and the state does not subsidize their production costs.

With Partners-Albania’s support, ADRIF successfully employed 5 persons with disabilities in the production of wheelchairs, organized employment workshops, and provided increased mobility for 90 persons with disabilities over a six-month period. Further, Partners-Albania’s trainings helped ADRIF to lobby for new laws such as: subsidizing costs of wheelchairs, equal participation in the election process, and inclusive education. ADRIF is also heading a cooperative initiative with Ministries of Labor and Social Affairs to define the National Disability Strategy.

Establishing a Community Center in Bathore, Women for Global Action
Bathore is the most marginalized and poverty stricken suburb of Tirana, with 30,000 inhabitants who have recently migrated from underdeveloped areas in northern Albania that lack infrastructure and social services. Bathore also includes 12,000 women over the age of 16, 19% of whom have graduated high school and 99% of whom are now unemployed. The town maintains only one public school and a kindergarten, and lacks medical and counseling services for women.

The financial and technical support from Partners-Albania allowed Women for Global Action to establish a Community Center in Bathore and begin a process of long-term collaboration with the local municipality. The local Center provides education services for preschool children, medical and counseling services for women and integration/rehabilitation services for the impoverished migrant community. The municipality has committed to help the NGO manage the Center, and the cross-sector collaboration has also initiated dialogue other community problems, such as lack of electricity and social services in Bathore.

Improving the Economic Status of Rural Women, Small Business Foundation
The privatization of agricultural cooperatives and state run enterprises after 1991 resulted in very high levels of unemployment among women in rural areas. The situation has increasingly deteriorated, and income of many rural families is less than $1 per day – the poverty level according to U.N. standards.

With Partners-Albania’s support, the Small Business Foundation trained 135 women from four rural areas of Maminas, Berxulle, Farka and Baldushku in topics such as: managing farm businesses effectively and efficiently, receiving loan applications from micro credit institutions, seeking professional advice on business management, developing business plans, and successfully selling products. The Foundation provided additional consultation on bank loan applications and business plan preparation following each training, and 25 of these 30 women recipients obtained small credits for various business activities such as cow purchases, green houses, opening restaurants, tailoring services, exporting dried beans, and opening new vineyards.

2) Albanian NGO Needs Assessment (pdf)

3) Directory of Albanian NGOs (located at www.partnersalbania.org, follow the Publications link)