Women Artisans
Cultural Heritage protection, its transmission from generation to generation, employment and self-employment opportunities. Women Artisans in the village of Hysgjokaj, in the Municipality of Lushnja,
“I have been crocheting and knitting for 40 years, I am now 54 years old. My mother taught me and her mother, my grandmother taught her.
I really want to participate with my works in fairs.
“I am very attracted to handwork. I learned crocheting from my friends. I would like to go to the markets and participate in fairs.
I really like that we have a center for artisans in Lushnje, to gather, to talk, exchange models and our experiences in our artistic works.
“I have learned crochet, knitting and embroidery since I was 14 years old. My mother taught me everything my mother, my grandmother, had taught her.
I have also taught my daughters myself.”
“I am involved in agriculture because I have land with citrus and olive trees, which I sell at the market. But I find time to do handicrafts with crochet and knitting.
The “Lushnjë Crafts Center” that will be established by the “Refleksione” project, supported by the German Embassy, Tirana, will help us a lot to preserve our tradition and pass it on to young girls.
“I crochet, I make everything: sweaters, hoodies, gloves. lace. I taught myself. I don’t sell them, I give them as gifts,
I really want to go to fairs, to show my works so that they can find buyers”.
“I started crocheting when I was 12 years old. I come from a large family, we are 8 sisters and a brother.
We would look at each other and do artistic crochet work. My mother only knew how to use a loom and spin wool”.
“I do agriculture but also handwork. My mother taught me how to knit and crochet. I haven’t participated in fairs and I want to take my crocheted works there so that I can find buyers and earn an income from my work”.
The creative power of women artisans in the Municipality of Lushnja is unlimited! To further develop their creative potential and increase their access to markets, to stimulate the local economy, “Refleksione” Women Association is implementing the project “Empowering Women Artisans – Boosting the Economy of Local Communities” supported by the German Embassy, Tirana. The project aims to increase the skills and knowledge of women artisans in the Municipality of Lushnja, to preserve the tradition of artistic works in crochet, knitting, embroidery and pass them on to the younger generations, as well as to gain digital knowledge for the online marketing and sale of their artisan products. The project promotes gender equality since the voice of women and girls artisans will be heard more in their families and local communities. In close cooperation with local authorities, the project will establish the “Women Artisans Center” in Lushnja Municipality , that will serve as a workspace for women and girls artisans and as a meeting point.
