With support from Joint SDG Fund, Marija turns struggle into a new start

UNDP Albania

September 3, 2026

For Marija, that opportunity came in the form of a professional cooking course supported by UNDP through the UN Joint Programme “Lifelong Empowerment and Protection in Albania” (LEAP) funded by SDG Fund in the framework of the Global Accelerator for Jobs, Social Protection and Just Transition.

UNDP Albania

What does it take for a mother to keep going when every day is a struggle to provide for her children? The uncertainty of not knowing where the next income will come from. The jobs that come and go. The responsibilities that leave little room to think about tomorrow. The hopes, the setbacks—and the determination to try again.

Ask Marija Rrapi.

At 34, Marija knows what it means to rebuild a life from the ground up. For more than three years, since losing her husband, she has been raising her two daughters, aged 6 and 9, on her own.

For a long time, social assistance was her main source of income. Occasional jobs helped her make ends meet, but they offered little stability and even less opportunity to build a different future.

“There have been very difficult moments, but I have always thought about my daughters. They have given me the strength to keep going,” Marija says.

But determination alone is not always enough. Sometimes, what people need is the right opportunity—and the right support to make that opportunity possible.

For Marija, that opportunity came in the form of a professional cooking course supported by UNDP through the UN Joint Programme “Lifelong Empowerment and Protection in Albania” (LEAP) funded by SDG Fund in the framework of the Global Accelerator for Jobs, Social Protection and Just Transition.

With support from Joint SDG Fund, Marija turns struggle into a new start — Marije Rrapi proudly holds her certificate after successfully completing the training.

UNDP Albania

She was among the first to enroll.

“I saw it as an opportunity to change my life,” she recalls.

For Marija, the training was about much more than learning how to work in a professional kitchen. It was a chance to acquire a skill, regain confidence and begin imagining a future beyond social assistance and occasional work.

“I learned many things that I didn’t know before. For the first time, I felt prepared to work in this profession,” she says.

She speaks with gratitude about Professor Ndreka and the support she received throughout the training. But there was another piece of support that proved just as important: making it possible for her to participate in the first place.

While Marija attended the course, her daughters could access an after-school service through the community centre in Lezhë.

For a mother raising two young children alone, this was not a small detail. It was what made participation possible.

“Without the after-school service, it would have been impossible for me. It gave me peace of mind knowing that my daughters were safe while I was investing in our future.”

This is what tailored support can look like in practice: not a single intervention, but a combination of services that responds to the real barriers a person faces.

Training gave Marija the skills. The after-school service gave her the time and peace of mind to use them. Together, they opened a door to employment.

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Just a few months after completing the course, Marija is now employed with full social insurance coverage in the kitchen of Hotel Riviera in Shëngjin.

“It is a very good opportunity. Not only do I have more income for my children, but I am also developing professionally. I feel more confident about the future.”

Her life has not suddenly become easy. The new job brings greater responsibilities and less free time. But there is a difference: she is now earning an income, building professional experience and creating greater security for her daughters.

And she is thinking beyond today.

“Everything I do is for my daughters. I want them to grow up seeing that even after the greatest hardships, you can get back on your feet.”

Marija’s story is not simply about finding a job. It is about what can happen when support is designed around a person’s circumstances—not just their needs on paper.

A professional skill alone might not have been enough. Without childcare support, Marija may not have been able to attend the training. Without the training, she may not have gained the confidence and skills needed to enter the labour market.

When different forms of support come together, an opportunity can become a pathway to lasting change.

Across Albania, the programme has supported 864 households to access integrated social protection, care and employment services, while 525 vulnerable young people and NEETs have engaged in skills development.

Importantly, 357 women and young people have transitioned from training into employment, including 93 women entering paid roles in long-term care—demonstrating how LEAP is connecting social protection with skills, decent work and greater economic independence.

For Marija, the impact is deeply personal.

She is no longer simply trying to get through another difficult month. She is working, learning and planning for what comes next.

Her story is a reminder that behind every employment statistic is a person—and that sometimes, the difference between being left behind and moving forward is having the right support at the right moment.

For Marija, that moment came with a cooking course, an after-school service and the determination she had carried all along.

“I won’t give up for my daughters.”

The “Lifelong Empowerment and Protection in Albania” (LEAP) Joint Programme is implemented by UNDP (lead agency), UNICEF, ILO and UN Women, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Economy and Innovation.

Funded by the UN Joint SDG Fund, LEAP serves as Albania’s flagship contribution to the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, helping to connect social protection, care services, skills development and employment pathways into a coherent system that expands opportunities for the most vulnerable.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the following contributing governments, whose commitment is helping Albania build more inclusive social protection systems, expand decent employment opportunities, and ensure that no one is left behind: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.