Sara has two years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Law, from University of Tirana, Albania, an “Undergraduate Exchange Student Award” at University of Texas at Austin and
a Master’s of Arts Degree in European Studies from the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen, Germany. As an Open Society Foundation Fellow of the “Undergraduate Exchange Program,” she lived and studied for one year in the U.S. and studied sociology. During her year in the U.S., Sara was a volunteer for two nonprofits, working in grassroots’ level in East Side Austin. As a Master’s student, she was awarded a grant from the Jean Monnet Leadership Programme to implement her Community Project “In from the Margins”, in Albania, focusing on social and educational needs of marginalized children/youth in the extremely poor suburbs of Tirana. Through fundraising for this project she helped 30 beneficiaries with school supplies, and books. Currently, she is working as a Youth Trainer for the Youth Project of the nonprofit Mary Ward Loreto Foundation, in Tirana (Albania).Sara’s responsibilities as a Youth Trainer consist in designing and developing MWL Youth Leadership Programme, targeting youth located in highly marginalized rural areas in Albania; leading the Awareness-raising Training sessions on Human Anti-trafficking in more than 15 vulnerable areas of the country; supporting the Line Manager in implementing project’s economic empowerment strategy for youth; collaborate for fundraising activities, and widen the network with third parties. Due to her job, Sara is part of various European Anti-trafficking Networks, such as RENATE (Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation), ANDANTE (European Alliance of Catholic Women’s Organizations), and URAT (United Response Against Trafficking). Through these experiences, she developed strong community-based project coordination skills, as well as, abilities to create innovative implementation ways in grassroots level. Sara enjoys focusing on youth empowerment, education, training on human anti-trafficking, and is very passionate about lobbying for human rights, fundraising and policy making.
Host Organization: Internews
Role at Host Organization: Sara will help Internews build new strategies that incorporate youth development and counter people-trafficking using the organization’s core capacities in media and information. Her tasks will include coordination across staff, consensus-building, administration and logistics for consultants, research, and supporting representation with partners and donors.