Our Impact
We are committed to justice, compassion, and empowerment, and, through tireless efforts, this extraordinary organization, transforms despair into opportunity, rescuing vulnerable lives and championing their dignity.
Sister Alma: Cooperation with MWL – truly significant
A testimonial from a direct beneficiary of MWL services
Director Fetaj: MWL, an impactful organization
Our impactful work in figures
- MWL is part of the National Referral Network in Albania, which aims to prevent human trafficking.
- To date, ASCs has handled over 2,100 cases, more than 800 of which were identified among our target population of individuals vulnerable to violence and exploitation.
- Immediate protection and support provided to 13 potential victims identified by our centers.
- In cooperation with our partners, 62 survivors of human trafficking, domestic and gender-based violence received support across our service areas.
- In 2021 MWL partnered with the Municipality of Lezha to improve access to legal services.
- The opening of the Free Legal Advice Office of the local Ministry of Justice of Lezha has enhanced our ability to help HT victims to access legal support.
- Free legal aid provided to over 200 victims of domestic and/or gender-based violence and human trafficking.
- MWL staff helped vulnerable people to make medical appointments, accompany patients, and provide emotional support through the treatment period and beyond.
- Mental health support is also given through our advice centre in Tirana and virtually to those in need in other regions.
- Psychological counseling provided to over 60 cases, victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence to cope with the trauma and post trauma, and for reporting violence and abuse.
- Our partnership with the UK Medaille Trust is especially valuable in clarifying victims’ identity and providing remote counselling to traumatised people in UK shelters.
- The location of our service centers, some in very remote areas, enables us to act as a vital conduit for government help in times of crisis like the 2019 earthquake, when 51 people were killed and some 3,000 injured.
- Some 223 emergency food and medical packages were delivered to families in need.
- The Covid Pandemic also saw our staff working tirelessly to support communities with distribution of food and basics.
For more recent impact metrics, check out our latest annual reports!
Edlira Gjoni: MWL takes the roads less traveled by
While the metropolises buzz with noise, the MWL Foundation has, for years, dedicated itself to working with children, girls, women, and even men, in areas where you and I might go only for a short hike or a photo-tourism adventure. I truly admire the commitment and the investment of time, spirit, professionalism, and funding by the entire staff and their partners who, in this case in Tropoja, but also in Valbona, Kallmet, Puka, as well as Delvina, Shëndelli, Konispol, and places you might never think of, work systematically with people who have been left behind. And they do it with the same dedication, year after year.
On the roads not taken. MWL takes the ones less traveled by to make people there feel supported, active, heard, and keep hopes and options alive. And that makes all the difference! This is the Albania I search for.
Thank you MWL team for keeping life alive and active in these gems of Albania!
HT Victim: Thank you, MWL, for this beautiful, transformative journey
Reflecting on the time I shared with this incredible group, my heart is full, overflowing with gratitude, emotion, and renewed strength. Each session became more than just a meeting; it was a sacred space of reflection, healing, growth, and connection.
I am profoundly thankful to the Mary Ward Loreto Foundation for creating this space, where women felt safe, seen, heard, and slowly began to rediscover their voice and self-worth.
Above all, my deepest thanks go to Afërdita. ♥️ Her presence, her wisdom, and her unwavering kindness left a lasting mark on me. She didn’t just facilitate our meetings; she led us with fierce compassion, quiet strength, and deep humanity. Through her, I found the courage to reconnect with a part of myself I thought I had lost, a bright pink flamingo faded by the weight of motherhood. But now… the pink is back. And so is the power she helped me reclaim.
Thank you, Mary Ward Loreto, for this beautiful, transformative journey. It will live in me forever.
MWL in action
Imelda Poole
Awarded Honorary Doctorate
Men and women
show that you are against violence
A temporary shelter
for a mother with more than five children
What fills life
is not to be served, but to serve