Unica Radio Raccontiamo la città che cambia
In today’s podcast episode, we meet Anxhela Bruci – a social justice activist and volunteer from Tirana, Albania. She holds an MA in Global Crime and Justice, as well as an MSc in Administration of Social Services. Driven by her mission, Anxhela founded “EmpowerFULL”, a socio-economic empowerment model which assists in the economic reintegration process of survivors of human trafficking.
Victims of human trafficking are faced with victim-blaming in their communities, a lack of resources to support their rehabilitation, as well as limited opportunities to gain employment and financial stability. In order to help improve the situation, Anxhela founded “EmpowerFULL”. The team organizes personal and career development training sessions for survivors, helps them get paid internships in different companies, and assists in finding sustainable employment.
Even though Anxhela obtained her university degree abroad, she always knew she would return to her home country. She recognized the issues human trafficking survivors faced in Albania, and wanted to use her time and skills to help in any way possible. Getting support from local businesses, the government and community does not always come easy. Despite that, Anxhela is very driven and determined to tackle the issue and make a change.
About the importance of volunteering
Anxhela and her team all work at “EmpowerFULL” on a voluntary basis, and she describes volunteer work as her way of living. It has given her a chance to discover what really matters in life – understanding how she can be of help to others, and how she can be the light where there is darkness. It goes hand in hand with the motto of “EmpowerFULL”, which is a quote by Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” For Anxhela, the most important thing is to try.
Listen to our previous episodes to learn more about volunteering and human rights!
