LëvizAlbania – the Swiss-funded project that supports democracy and civil action at local level - announced its latest grant winners. It will fund 36 initiatives proposed by groups and individuals in 36 municipalities throughout Albania, in efforts to engage civic action and improve local government.
“In a functional democracy every section of society acts, demands and takes responsibility. Are all sections of Albanian society doing their duty to democracy? This is what LëvizAlbania serves for. We are happy to have almost 900,000 Swiss francs allocated only for this call for supporting 36 project proposals from all over the country”, said Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland Philipp Keller during the event.
“Today we will present in front of you all 36 winning projects from the 5th call. 36 concrete interventions that will influence and aim to improve transparency, community governance, children, proper use of natural resources, the delivery of promises on the part of elected officials, etc”, said Andi Dobrushi, Chairman of LëvizAlbania’s Board of Grants.
At the closing of the event, LëvizAlbania’s Executive Director Valbona Kuko spoke about the relevance of this project in support of active citizenship and visible results and solutions regarding local governance.
As a response to this 5th call for proposals, LëvizAlbania received 264 applications that included proposed initiatives in sectors such as environment, urban waste, youth, food safety, public transport, health, cultural heritage, water and sewerage, agriculture and gender equality. The winning projects expand beyond the typical territory and include initiatives taking place in far off locations such as Pustec, Belsh, Cërrik, Dropull, Bulqizë, Has, Kukës, and Tropojë.
Among the 36 projects, 27 were initiated by civil groups and organisations, whereas 9 came from individuals. In its previous phases, LëvizAlbania has funded 130 actions and projects, 9 of which through its Rapid Response mechanism that targets current and immediate actions and initiatives.
LëvizAlbania is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by consortium of three local organizations in Albania.
