Eight individuals from the Egyptian community in Shushicë, Elbasan, have come together to create the Shushicë Agricultural Cooperation Society (SHBB). SHBB Shushicë is a legal entity with business and financial rights and a bank account, ready to carry out its agricultural and commercial activities. At the head of this cooperative is a woman from the Egyptian community.
The creation of SHBB is the result of a multifaceted effort to empower the Egyptian community in Shushicë, led by APGR with support from the Inclusive EduJobs project. To ensure that SHBB Shushicë and future cooperatives are economically efficient and eligible for state funding, the Constructive Engagement Platform dedicated its third workshop to agricultural issues.
Connection to the land is essential—it must be nurtured, strengthened, and sustained, as it is tied to identity and origin. The workshop, organized by the Constructive Engagement Platform together with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, addressed issues aimed at empowering Roma and Egyptian farmers through capacity-building in farming practices, establishing good managerial structures, and fostering organizational and management culture to increase access to more complex grant schemes.
Inclusive EduJobs is a project funded by the European Union in Albania and implemented by the Open Society Foundation for Albania, the Municipality of Tirana, and KMOP.