This year, 27 Roma women were helped by the Institute of Roma Culture in Albania’s (IRCA) Start Up project, which helped them get jobs and make steady income. These women are examples of how small actions can have big effects on a community. In these times of activism against gender-based violence, the message for all Roma women and girls is to believe in their own abilities, work to learn more, and say “STOP” to domestic violence by reporting every case of abuse. The startups were helped by the “Strengthening of National and Local Systems to Support the Socio-Economic Integration of Returnees in the Western Balkans” project, which was run by UNDP Albania with money from the EU in Albania and with the help of IRCA.
