By Nicoletta Baldo, EU Aid Volunteer
“Make your wish on the Christmas tree with a greeting and an orange decoration” was the message that we shared in the occasion of the Orange Christmas tree decoration in Pukë, on 12 December. The objective of this event was to spread awareness messages on the topic of violence against women and to involve the representatives of the city in participating to the event. It was organised by NCCS in cooperation with UNDP as part of the ‘End Violence Against Women’ project, funded by the Swedish government and implemented by three UN agencies, namely UNW, UNDP and UNFPA, in partnership with the Albanian government.
Despite the rain, we began decorating the tree in front of the Palace of Culture ‘Ndue Shyti’, which was visible from the city’s main square. We received valuable assistance from students at Pukë’s “Sabahu Sinani” high school in decorating the tree and writing messages denouncing violence against women on orange cardboards. They wrote these cards during a previous activity called ‘trainer of trainers’ that we had held that morning at their school. I cannot stress enough the importance of education in achieving gender equality and women’s safety. Therefore, I believe it is crucial to raise awareness among students and to receive their positive feedbacks.
Moreover, during the morning session in the school, I also shared my personal volunteering experience with the students and through a Power Point presentation, I talked to the students about my experience here in Albania which is linked to the programme of the EU called Humanitarian Aid. It is co-financed by the European Commission and after an online and in presence training, it gives you the possibility to apply for projects even beyond the EU borders.
Approximately 70 people gathered in the designated area to listen to various speakers, including representatives from the Municipality and the Police Department. Despite the language barrier, which prevented me from understanding some of the speeches, it was heartening to see this silent crowd united in their goal to raise a common voice against violence towards women.
Once again, the students from the aforementioned high school presented their interventions. They distributed orange cardboards with sentences denouncing violence against women, which the hosts read during the event. The cards were then placed on the Christmas tree as decorations and messages for future viewers.
The significance of these activities lies in the fact that the message being conveyed extends beyond the event itself. While the symbolic meaning of a large gathering is undoubtedly powerful, there is more to it than that. The tree will remain in the central square of the city, allowing curious people to approach and read the messages. This may encourage them to reflect on the issue of violence against women, read more about it, and share their thoughts. In conclusion, I believe that this event was significant because it marked the first step towards initiating change.
National Center For Community Services 