Improvement of Livelihoods in Puka region

General

The project aims at ”Members of rural communities from mountainous areas of Northern Albania have increased their income from farming and other activities leading to improvement in living conditions, advocating for change, and gender equality”. Expected results are: - organisational sustainability of AP has increased; - organisational development and management of other civil society organisations focusing on rural development in North Eastern Albania enhanced; - Business development capacity increased; - Production capacity of thematic cooperation groups enhanced; - Product marketing of thematic cooperation groups enhanced; Attitude of community, especially youth, towards climate change improved; - Participation of AP and other civil society actors in local, regional, and national decision-making enhanced; - Participation of AP and other civil society actors in national and regional networks enhanced; - Women’s capacity regarding production increased; - Women’s participation in local decision-making and networks and forums increased; - Capacity of women, especially young ones, in gender equality, participation, and leadership enhanced; - Women’s and communities’ awareness of gender equality enhanced; - Best practices and models on gender equality are disseminated at regional and national level.

Objectives

• The partner organisation Agropuka has started the process of developing strategic documents on HRBA, Gender Equality and PCM. • The organisation has started the process of revision and updating of the existing Gender Study prepared in 2013 in collaboration with an external consultant. • Two Advisory Women Councils for Puka and Fusha Arrez municipalities are established and functional. • Lobby activities of Agropuka resulted in introduction of a “Gender Coordinator” position that is covered by the Social welfare section in both municipalities (Puka and Fusha Arez). Agropuka Gender Coordinator is in close collaboration with the Gender Coordinators. The Gender Coordinators of both municipalities attended workshops organised by Agropuka in the framework of the project (HRBA, Gender Equality and PCM). • Agropuka has started the implementation of the Study Circle (SC) method included in the Action Plan, as a follow-up of a study visit to Stockholm organised by the Europe Regional Office, aiming at gaining practical experience of the SC coordinators appointed by the partner organisations. • Agropuka organised 2 round tables in Fushe Arrez municipality with rights-holders and duty-bearers on public services for the farmers. The focus of the undertaken discussions was on the information on the right to land ownership and the process of transferring land to the landowners. • An Octagon Assessment of Agropuka was conducted in a workshop facilitated by We Effect. Based on the findings, an Action Plan for Organisational Development is developed, addressing the main issues identified. The implementation of the Action Plan will be followed by We Effect and Agropuka.