Fostering partnerships for Social Care in Albania

What does social care mean to you?

Empowerment. Inclusiveness. Protection. Equality.

These core values are driving the EU4SocialCare program as it strives to foster a just, equitable, and inclusive environment for those in need of social care in Albania.

In early June, the EU4SocialCare program, implemented by World Vision Albania and UNICEF, facilitated two (2) forums between local governments and civil society organizations (CSOs), aiming to create an enabling environment to foster potential partnerships, with the objective of an enhanced social care system in Albania.

These entities are central to the implementation of the program, which will be implemented on basis of sub-granting, through which local governments and CSOs will join forces in implementing improvements and providing new solutions for the beneficiaries of these services.

During the forums organised in Durres and Elbasan by World Vision Albania and UNICEF, the participants had the opportunity to understand more on the program, share information on the current landscape of social care services and share their platforms of social care services (CSOs).

In the spirit of fostering partnerships, an innovative method named ‘speed networking’ allowed participants to understand the working scope of each other, therefore exploring potential areas of collaboration in the framework of EU4SocialCare.

"The spirit of EU4SocialCare stands in collaboration, partnership and stability. When presenting ideas and projects, keep in mind to allow space for sustainability and continuity of these services," - Edina Kozma, Deputy Representative of UNICEF Albania

The forums had the pleasure of hosting Ms. Xhilda Papajani, from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection who engaged and discussed with the participants on the opportunities that this program will present for the country.

To gain insight on the experience of participants and how they perceived the forums, the organizing team held a survey, in which the partakers from 14 municipalities and various CSOs mentioned the importance of peer-to-peer meetings in such forums, which allows to share experiences and best practices; and developing critical thinking of participants in relation to their project proposals for the EU4SocialCare sub-granting scheme.

In the upcoming weeks, the program will launch its Call for Proposals, open for applications from 14 local governments and various civil society organizations, to work on enhancing social care services, providing sustainable services for people at risk of exclusion, promote youth volunteerism and provide meaningful solution for all people in need of social care services.

EU4SocialCare is an EU-funded program, jointly implemented by UNICEF Albania and World Vision Albania, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Albania.