LocationsUNDP Albania
Funded by the Joint SDG Fund: Four Women, One Turning Point
July 7, 2026
Drita's story is one of four — women from the Lezha region whose lives intersected with a single vocational training program, and who each came out the other side changed.
UNDP Albania
Everyone has a story. A story of their own. A story of challenges, of small successes, of "where do I even start." Of feeling like there's nothing out there — until something changes.
For Drita Gegaj, that something arrived at 49, the first time she put on a chef's apron and meant it.
For three decades, she had cooked — for her husband, her two daughters, for holidays and ordinary Tuesdays — and she had worked too, in the sporadic way so much of women's labor gets absorbed: informal jobs, picked up and let go, without contracts or social insurance behind them. No coverage. No path forward. It was just what she did, quietly, in Mirdita, while life moved around her.
Then her daughters grew up, and something shifted.
"Cooking has been my passion since I was young," Drita says. "When my daughters grew up, I finally had the chance to pursue it." So, at an age when many people are told it's too late to start over, she enrolled in a three-month culinary course at the "Shën Jozefi Punëtor" vocational school. She trained, she practiced, and she was placed as an apprentice at Restaurant Kryezeze — a placement that turned into a real job. Today she draws a wage, contributes to her family's income, and works alongside another trainee under a woman-owned business that made space for exactly this kind of second chance.
Drita's story is one of four — women from the Lezha region whose lives intersected with a single training and employment program, and who each came out the other side changed.
Martine Tarazhi, a beneficiary of the Joint SDG Fund-supported programme, gained new skills and confidence to take the next step in her employment journey.
UNDP Albania
Martine Tarazhi had been out of work for five years, home with her youngest child while her husband worked abroad in Greece. Job opportunities near her were scarce, and after half a decade away from any workplace, the idea of re-entering one was daunting.
The culinary course gave her more than a trade. Alongside cooking technique, she learned how to communicate in a professional setting, manage conflict, and work as part of a team — skills that had atrophied during her years of isolation at home.
"The training helped us learn new things and meet new people," she says. "The certificate and skills will help me find work wherever I go." That confidence matters now more than ever: Martine is preparing to reunite with her husband and look for seasonal work in Crete, entering the labor market for the first time in years — this time, on firmer footing.
Altina Paloka, 29, works in a professional kitchen after completing vocational culinary training supported through the Joint SDG Fund, which helped her gain confidence, practical skills, and full-time employment.
UNDP Albania
Twenty-nine-year-old Altina Paloka almost turned the opportunity down. She had been unemployed for months, having only worked informal jobs before. When local employment services first suggested cooking training, her first instinct was to say no.
"I thought being a cook was too difficult and came with too much responsibility," she remembers.
She decided to try anyway, encouraged by the school and by people who believed in her. The training surprised her.
She found a supportive classroom, learned practical skills, and completed a traineeship under the Youth Guarantee programme at a restaurant on the national highway. Her employer was impressed enough to offer her a job. She now works full-time in the kitchen.
"I learned many things I never knew before, from traditional dishes to modern cooking techniques," Altina says. "The course gave me confidence and helped me find a job that I enjoy."
Fatbardha Malçe, a beneficiary of the Joint SDG Fund-supported programme, found formal employment after completing vocational training, strengthening her financial independence.
UNDP Albania
Fatbardha Malçe spent most of her life inside the walls of her home in the Kurbin area, raising her family and never once holding a job outside it. At 50, encouraged by a friend who'd taken the same course before her, she signed up for the culinary program — not entirely sure what to expect from professional kitchen work.
What she found was a craft far more demanding, and more rewarding, than she'd imagined.
"Cooking at home and cooking in a restaurant are completely different," she says, smiling. "The course showed me how much there was still to learn." After graduating, she began a traineeship at Restaurant Turi in Skuraj, where she still works today.
For Fatbardha, the real transformation wasn't just professional — it was personal. "Leaving the house and having my own work is very important," she says. "It gives me independence and allows me to contribute without relying entirely on my husband."
Drita, Martine, Altina, and Fatbardha are four women among many. Their stories share a common root: the "Lifelong Empowerment and Protection in Albania" programme, funded by the Joint SDG Fund and implemented by UNDP, ILO, and UN Women, in partnership with Ministry of Economy and Innovation, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and National Agency for Employment and Skills.
The Professional School "Shën Jozefi Punëtor," with support from UNDP, carried out vocational training and paid apprentice in partnership with local business, followed by formal employment contracts, as the final stage of the process, part of the programme in Lezha.
“In this region, unemployment and limited opportunity have long pushed vulnerable people — especially women — to the edges of the job market. The programme took a broad approach. It didn't just teach cooking and tourist guiding. It also paired certified vocational training with soft-skills and digital-skills coaching, career guidance, and hands-on traineeships arranged directly with local employers”-says Eno Ngjela Programme Specialist at UNDP in Albania,
In total, 56 women and men went through the training.
That number is part of a much larger effort. Across the wider LEAP programme, UNDP-backed initiatives have delivered vocational training to 617 people, helped 120 women and young people move into jobs in tourism, hospitality, and care work, provided integrated support to 493 households receiving economic aid, and strengthened the skills of 173 care and social service professionals.
What connects all of it is a simple truth: that training means little without a bridge to real employment, and that confidence — the kind Drita, Martine, Altina, and Fatbardha each describe finding — is built as much in the workplace as in the classroom. When vocational training is paired with mentorship and genuine partnership with local businesses, the results reach past employment statistics. They show up as independence, as dignity, and as women who no longer see "too late" or "too difficult" as reasons to stay home.
Related
content
content
