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Women are empowered through technology/ Vodafone Albania Foundation leads initiative for digital equality and security

2025-11-12 16:10:00, Aktualitet CNA

Women are empowered through technology/ Vodafone Albania Foundation leads

As part of its commitment to gender equality, women's protection and digital security, the Vodafone Foundation in Albania, in collaboration with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and civil society organizations, organized a high-level roundtable in Tirana dedicated to women's empowerment and the role of digital innovation in their protection.

Women are empowered through technology/ Vodafone Albania Foundation leads

The meeting, attended by representatives from the Albanian Parliament, heads of public and private institutions, representatives of civil society organizations and gender equality stakeholders, aimed to combine technological expertise with institutional experience to promote sustainable mechanisms that contribute to the prevention of gender-based violence.

At the center of the discussions was the Bright Sky Albania application, an initiative of the Vodafone Foundation, which provides information, support and practical advice to women and girls who feel at risk of violence.

Women are empowered through technology/ Vodafone Albania Foundation leads

Present at this meeting, the director of the Vodafone Foundation, Lisa Felton, emphasized the importance of technology as a tool for empowerment and protection: "We at Vodafone believe that through technology we can address issues related to gender-based violence, abuse and issues related to education and health. The Bright Sky application is a concrete example that offers girls and women who experience violence, information, support and practical advice to leave dangerous situations," said the director of the Vodafone Foundation.

Valbona Kuko, Country Director for Albania of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, emphasized that gender-based violence against women in politics remains one of the main challenges that hinders their inclusion in public life. “The Westminster Foundation for Democracy has been addressing and supporting political actors, civil society and the media for years, to return the issue of gender-based violence to the politics of the day and to raise awareness among politicians and activists, business, and the media that gender equality issues are not family issues. They must be addressed through policymaking, good legislation and with essential instruments to help citizens. The Bright Sky application, but also the platform that the Westminster Foundation for Democracy has set up to report violence against girls and women, are instruments that should be used to report issues that the responsible institutions must address and resolve,” concluded Kuko.

Women are empowered through technology/ Vodafone Albania Foundation leads

This roundtable was attended by members of the Albanian Parliament, Klodiana Spahiu, Eduart Shalsi, Milva Ekonomi, Iris Luarasi; Chairwoman of the Board of the Vodafone Foundation in Albania, Jonida Lakuriqi; representatives of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ina Majko, Deputy Minister; of the Ministry of Interior; heads of independent institutions, Erinda Ballanca, Ombudsman and Robert Gajda, Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination. Representatives of international institutions in Albania, Michele Ribotta UN Women Albania as well as civil society, Mirela Arqimandriti, Executive Director of the Gender Alliance for Development, also contributed to this event.

Women are empowered through technology/ Vodafone Albania Foundation leads

Through this initiative, the Vodafone Albania Foundation has positioned itself as a key actor in the field of innovation with social impact, turning technology into a concrete tool for the safety, protection and empowerment of women.
This roundtable marks an important step in building a collaborative ecosystem between the public, private and civil society sectors, for a safer and more equal digital future for all women and girls in Albania./CNA