Roma and Egyptian youth return to the early tradition of producing birch products. This is happening thanks to the project "Craft of birch, hope for employment of Roma and Egyptian youth" which is being implemented in the regions of Elbasan and Korça by Together for Life, with the support of GIZ / Proseed.
At the heart of the project is cooperation with regional employment offices and public vocational training centers in both municipalities, to identify unemployed and returning Roma and Egyptian youth and to offer them the opportunity to integrate in the labor market, through a full professional training.
30 young people from the two communities in Elbasan and Korça have attended the three-month training for the production of straw products.
The profession of making straw products, otherwise known as wickerwork, is a very early profession and worldwide is considered to have been born along with humanity. It is a profession that uses natural products as raw materials such as xana, willow, bamboo, etc., with which products of daily use were created.
Today the range of products has increased, with the tendency to create elite, decorative and tourist facilities, while the technique has remained the same, of hand knitting (although in many countries the production is industrialized).
In Albania, this profession is mostly identified with the Roma community.
The young people involved in the Project are enthusiastic because learning this traditional profession restores tradition to their families and is one more opportunity to be employed and self-employed and to generate a sustainable income.
Cooperation in the implementation of this project with the respective Municipalities and with the training centers and employment offices is important to further the efforts for the integration of young people in the labor market.
Thanks to the Project it is possible to create the first professional curriculum for birch products, and TFL in cooperation with relevant institutions, will follow all procedures for its accreditation by the National Agency for Education, Vocational Training and Qualifications (AKAFP), in accordance with levels of the Albanian Qualifications Framework and based on the quality assurance system.
