Most of the Italian NGOs arrived in Albania during the humanitarian emergency of the 1990s and then decided to stay, taking root in the country and contributing thus in the development of local NGOs and associations.
At the moment there are in Albania 27 active projects implemented by Italian NGOs and co-financed by the Italian Cooperation with a commitment of about 20 millions of euro. The sectors of intervention, mostly related to social development, are: health, education, social inclusion, equal opportunities. A special focus is given to the weaker part of the population and the most underdeveloped areas, such as urban slums and the Northern regions of the country. All Italian NGOs work closely with their local counterparts and governmental institutions, in order to foster local development and good governance practices.
The Italian Cooperation has always encouraged open dialogue with NGOs. This resulted in the definition of a “Strategy for Northern Albania”, which aims at better managing Italian aid, through NGOs projects, in this area, considered by the Albanian Government as a priority. The first release of the Strategy, dating from 2004, has been updated in 2007, and represents the reference frame for 13 of the 27 active projects implemented by Italian NGOs in Albania.
The coordination role played by the Italian Cooperation has given way to further exchange of information and know-how and to a formal or informal collaborations among NGOs, which in some cases have become real partnerships.
At the moment, the Italian Cooperation co-finances several projects (which can be searched by linking
here and going to the “Implementation” phase) implemented by the following NGOs:
