Handmade Hope - How Women Are Crafting Economic Independence

In Elbasan, one of Albania’s largest cities, women are reclaiming their livelihoods through traditional crafts and local partnerships, proving that economic empowerment and gender equality are inseparable. This is part of a local effort supported by UN Women and the European Union to turn gender equality policies into everyday change.

For 12 years, Bruna’s hands had only known the sort of work stay-at-home mothers do, cleaning, tidying up and preparing meals for her children, mending clothes, braiding her daughter's hair. But today, at 32, her hands have learned to do something new. Guided by an experienced craftswoman at a social enterprise in Elbasan, Bruna Hushi began to operate a wooden loom, just like her grandmother once did, a skill she thought was lost to time.

"I had never had a job before," Bruna recalls softly. "I was only caring for my children. But here, someone gave me a chance to do something for myself and open a new chapter in my life."

The social enterprise “My Artisan Tradition” employs and trains women from marginalized backgrounds through a partnership between the Joscelyn Foundation, a local NGO, and the Municipality of Elbasan. Every year, twelve women are trained in weaving and other traditional crafts, gaining both practical and life skills.

“This may seem like a small number, but for every participating woman, this is a life-changing experience, that transforms not only her life, but also the future of her children,” explains Saimir Bakalli, Director of Joscelyn Foundation.

Opportunities like this have grown as Elbasan strengthens its work on gender equality with the support of UN Women and the European Union. In recent years, the municipality has implemented its Gender Equality Action Plans, developed with UN Women’s technical assistance, following the signing of the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. This partnership has helped translate equality commitments into tangible initiatives like skills training, employment schemes, and access to local markets for women artisans.

Bruna now earns around 480 USD per month. She supports her family, has insurance, and most importantly, she feels seen. "My goal is to work, to do something for myself," she says.

Each woman who joins the program leaves with more than a paycheck. They gain skills in CV writing, business planning, and marketing - tools that help them build financial independence and confidence.

Weaving tradition into transformation

A couple of kilometers away, in Elbasan's old bazaar, 54-year-old Etleva Mata arranges handwoven products at a municipal market established as a tax-free zone for women artisans. "Hope is what drives you to work," she says. "If you don't hope for better, you do nothing."

Following a stint as a migrant worker in Italy, Etleva returned to find a transformed Elbasan.

“There are more opportunities now,” she says. “Five years ago, we were just a few women selling under tents. Now we have proper stalls, tourists come, and they appreciate our work."

She now leads a small group of women artisans who share materials, customers, and plans. "We're stronger when we work together," she says smiling.

Yet challenges persist. Limited market space and high parking costs restrict access. Etleva dreams of weekend street markets in different neighborhoods, which would be small steps opening doors for more women.

"Expanding sales opportunities would truly benefit all women in Elbasan," she suggests.

Turning equality into an everyday practice

Elbasan, like many municipalities in Albania, has long faced significant challenges: high unemployment rates, persistent gender gaps, and women marginalized from formal employment, earning less than men, with fewer career options and disproportionate unpaid care burdens.

The Municipality of Elbasan signed the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life in 2017, with the technical assistance of UN Women, thus becoming one of the first six municipalities to recognize the Charter and become a signatory party to it, a process supported by the Austrian Development Agency. Soon after, with UN Women’s guidance, Elbasan and four other municipalities adopted their first Gender Equality Action Plans, mapping priorities and budgets to promote equal opportunities for all. This experience laid the foundation for subsequent plans that have further advanced gender-responsive governance and local services.

Building on this partnership, Elbasan has since advanced to its third plan, developed in close collaboration with the local government, civil society, and its communities. Supported by UN Women and the European Union through the EU for Gender Equality project, this initiative forms part of the Municipality’s broader strategy for gender equality, implemented through the Local Gender Equality Action Plan (2022–2024), the city’s roadmap for inclusive development.

The Plan itself focuses on four priorities: gender-responsive governance, education and awareness-raising, women’s economic empowerment, and protection from gender-based violence, creating a unified local framework for equality.

Nadire Kreka, Head of Gender, Ethnic and Anti-Discrimination Protection at the Municipality, has witnessed the shift firsthand. "Before, we used to work in separate projects. Now, with the action plan in place, everything is connected. We have created a system that works."

Through its regular consultation meetings, the municipality brings together NGOs, women’s groups, and community leaders to shape policies that reflect real needs.

“Only in the framework of the third plan , we held five consultation group meetings so that all stakeholders, including those who had not attended before, could participate. Many local NGOs were interested to be part of the process as the rationale behind the plan was rather simple: we looked at what we achieved from the previous plan and discussed how to build on it,” Nadire Kreka emphasizes.

“After carefully reviewing the monitoring report on the implementation of the previous plan, we decided, for the first time, to introduce a subsidy scheme offering small grants to women in need who wish to start or strengthen small businesses.”

For Saimir Bakalli, Director of the Joscelyn Foundation, this presented a great opportunity. He proposed the formal inclusion of My Artisan Tradition in the third local Gender Equality Action Plan. This way, the social enterprise could have access to microgrants aimed at supporting women in business.

“Our goal is inclusion and sustainability,” Saimir Bakalli explains. “We want to give to these talented women as many opportunities as possible to promote their work and help them grow.”

A model for others to follow

Elbasan’s journey shows what can happen when the local government, the civil society, and the women themselves work hand in hand. Together, they are proving that gender equality is not just a principle on paper; it is a practice that transforms communities.

“Every woman who finds her strength adds something to our city,” Nadire Kreka says. “When women rise, Elbasan rises to new heights with them.”

Elbasan’s story shows that when equality is local, change becomes lasting. These experiences demonstrate how local gender action plans can turn commitments into lasting and inclusive transformation, creating communities where gender equality is lived in practice, empowering every woman and man, every girl and boy, and ensuring that no one is left behind.