Golden Lady

Eriketa Konomi

I got to know the association at the end of 1993 and was just a sympathizer, as it was one of the first movements that gave us hope and motivated us women to take bold steps. In September 1994, I received an invitation from the association to follow and lead one of the first programs of the association, which was social-humanitarian with a business direction. The project was the opening of a dental clinic in collaboration with the association. The history of the clinic belongs to a Peace Conference of the World Council of Churches in Europe (WCC), which invited the association, through a partner of its HEKS (Protestant Churches of Switzerland) to participate in this conference and to present two social-humanitarian projects.

The association proposed the opening of a dental clinic for the association, whose mission would be to provide service to women/children (the schools had paralyzed this service) in economic hardship while ensuring income for the association's activities.

Meanwhile, the dental clinic itself would provide the association with a monthly quota of $100. Additionally, approval was obtained for a free service for poor children in Elbasan. As soon as I received the proposal, I was deeply affected by this idea-project and immediately began preparations. In the early stages of this activity, I received two specializations, one in Switzerland and one in Turkey. My experience in this project was extraordinary.

There I met wonderful women, I learned about the problems faced by different segments of society, especially women, and I managed to be more helpful to women and families beyond this program. Until 2013, I was very active in all the activities of the association and was a member of the General Assembly of NDGSH, and now I believe it is a major turning point for the association, which still has a lot of strength and experience to pass on.

Some of my advice for any young girl are:

• To be as educated as possible, knowledgeable, and have diverse experiences, as these provide new opportunities and beautiful challenges!
• To have an open mind and take bold steps, which fill them with experiences and new opportunities!
• To have a lot of love and tolerance, because love breaks down every barrier!
I am very honored to have been and continue to be a part of the organization, and especially to be a member of the "Gold Womans" group.
All of my good experiences, difficulties, obstacles, and successes, I am ready to share with new, affectionate individuals interested in civil services and humanitarian activities.