Golden Lady

UAW entered this movement in the early 1992-1993, without much theory and practical experience, without the key to moving the third sector, so we entered this movement without inheriting anything from the past. The only thing we had was: • The desire to do something for our rights and the rights of other women. • The idealistic path to face the reality created by the Democratic Movement in Albania.

I also think that we had the strength to express ourselves. Although it was born as an advanced, idealistic movement, with visions and hopes of changing everything, the fact that this movement faced the anarchic laws of a limitless democracy that had risked degenerating just as the beautiful ideas of December 90 degenerated. But one thing was certain: the possibility of raising the women's movement had been born. This movement had many responsibilities to take, many solutions to make, many things to fight for, and many dreams to fulfill.

This is how we were born: The Useful Women!
Of course, with common ideas, gathered desires and revolts. In the first phase of forming the UAW, all women, more or less, were unprepared, but some of them were very passionate. Wherever they were, inside or outside the country, they always spoke sincerely and tried sincerely to do something. Later on, we started to plan how to fulfill our mission and take concrete steps in the field. "For the benefit of Albanian women", we now had a clear idea of how we would envision it.

Many dreams became reality, many were shattered, but we grew.
30 years of movement, and today we feel the same as all our colleagues from America, Europe, Asia.
The problems, efforts, dreams, visions, disillusionments are very close.
In these years we saw many hopes come true, and others shattered.
We went through years that we called the years of bad dreams, like 1997, 1999.
The women's movement, in its early steps, faced the terrible events of 1997, events that raised and educated the women's movement, which, with its stance and strength, showed that it knew how to face it. Women showed how strongly they believed in what they were doing, in what they were fighting for.
Raised and formed, in a process of learning by doing, we managed to create not only our profiles, but gradually to activate and network both within and outside the country...

After 30 years of efforts, accomplishments, and failures, I can say with conviction that everything is so beautiful that it is impossible to separate the joys of realizing the most beautiful projects, the failures, and the struggle we have made in these 30 years, the meetings inside and outside the country, conflicts between different groups of women's associations.

In these years we formed and had the privilege to enter this history, the first of its kind in the history of Albania.

We wanted to slowly, naturally, convincingly 'be accepted' not only in the hearts and minds of women but also by men; we wanted to make them our allies. Meanwhile, the state was very little an ally with us, we knew to use the right language, which would convince everyone that our mission and efforts are progressive.

...And we succeeded...

Don't forget: what I write and remember today are reactions to the beginning of all activities, and moreover, we were the first WFO to build such a thing.
Thus began our beautiful and relentless journey of efforts to improve everything we saw as an opportunity for change.
We closely knew the terrible problems that women faced!
We learned how the state and institutions worked with us, for women and people, for children and the future!
We started our campaigns with slogans for the first time and boldly: Don't be silent!
We declared war on trafficking of girls and women!
We tried at all costs to improve the lives and conditions of women and children.
We worked with the motto: Women are the bridge of peace and understanding!
We worked and dreamed to make the slogan a reality: Another Balkans is possible!
We walked with the slogans: Help yourself with your work!
We supported women of all layers, instilling them with confidence that women are very important, and the slogan 'Women make history every day!' is not propaganda.
We opened shelters, made laws, lobbied and exerted pressure on both the state and various institutions, always to support women, to change their status, to make their lives more qualitative.
We made partners on our journey, many men who would be our most important visitors and supporters.
With the slogan: We are a feminist movement, but we do not hate men, but together with them, we want to change the Albanian reality, we managed to have many men in our centers who would help and support us.
On our long and beautiful journey, we 'grew up' by walking, we learned by doing.

Today, after 30 years, looking back, I see that in every moment of...