Ms. Disha is an experienced Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist, with over 4 years of experience and a proven track record of implementing effective M&E systems, to measure the impact of programs and projects for donor-funded programs in humanitarian sector and she has also conducted and commissioned thematic and project evaluations, ensuring that final reporting is robust and supported by evidence, provide actionable recommendations to support future decision making and learning. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Tirana, and a Master’s degree in Finance.
In recent years, Marisa held the position of Monitoring & Evaluation Officer at Islamic Relief Worldwide, Albania and North Macedonia Offices, an independent humanitarian and development organization leader in the arena of humanitarianism, developing distinctive and practical approaches to the key issues that are affecting our world today – including climate change, gender justice, forced migration, peacebuilding, child protection and inclusion.
Marisa has supported Albania and North Macedonia country teams through two CHS audit processes and has coordinated IRA’s Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) verification improvement plan. Marisa holds The Core Humanitarian Standards Certification and has attended different trainings such as The MEAL DPro and Project DPro, from Humentum Organization.
She developed a strong sense of devotion for the Civil Society and is willing to give contribution towards improving the quality of life for youth of our region. Marisa believes that all young people are equal and all young people should be aware of their worth.
Her hobbies are travelling and outdoor activities, she has a pet dog named Tobi and spending time with him is one of her favorite things to do.
Ms. Nelitana Pacrami holds a degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Shkodra. She launched her career with a big company like AlbTiefbau, where she learned a lot. And after that, again a big company like Fratelli Gruppomobili. She has almost 10 years of experience in the private sector in finance, accounting, and procurement, and now she is on board with RYCO to have a change in her career because it was the right time to expand her knowledge and to be part of an international organization.
Ms. Nelitana is an Albanian native speaker, fluent in English, and Italian, and also has a good understanding of Spanish and French.
She is very friendly and likes to meet new people, especially from different countries in order to know new cultures. ‘Always learning new things and spreading them to other people. Getting better, evolving together’ is her motto.
Ms. Merkaj is a seasoned communications and marketing professional with over 5 years of experience in delivering exceptional services to national organizations and businesses. She excels in creating impactful and inspiring communications that drive business results.
Ms. Merkaj holds a Master's degree in Economics and Communication for Management and Innovation from the University of La Sapienza and a BA in International Marketing and Logistics from Epoka University, Tirana.
In her previous role as Communication Project Assistant at INNVEST (Fund Investment Network), she made a significant impact by helping establish the first angel investors network in Albania and driving the design and distribution of effective communication campaigns across both internal and external channels.
Ms. Merkaj's technical skills encompass Digital Marketing, SEO strategy, A/B testing, Email Marketing, Content Marketing Planning, Brand Development, and user experience content creation. She is a skilled storyteller who is able to captivate audiences with compelling narratives.
Ms. Merkaj is a highly organized team player with strong interpersonal skills, allowing her to build and maintain effective relationships with all stakeholders. She is fluent in English and Italian.
Ms Kulemani holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Informatics from the Faculty of Economy, University of Tirana, and a Master’s Degree in Business Management from “Aleksander Moisiu” University, Durres.
She has five years of experience working in non-profit organizations. Ms Kulemani worked as Finance Officer, Development Facilitator, and Accountant Payable Officer in an international non-profit organization. She has been financially managing diverse EU projects and has taken part in a wide range of training on financial management for the EU and GIZ grants.
Ms Kulemani enjoys meeting new people and learning about their lives and backgrounds. She easily finds common interests with strangers and tends to make most people feel comfortable. She is a detail-oriented person with a sharp eye for accuracy.
Ms Ester Mulita holds a MSc in Cultural Heritage from the Charles III University of Madrid, Spain.
She has graduated in Foreign Languages from the University of Tirana and speaks fluent English and Spanish, with a very good knowledge of Italian language.
After graduation, Ms Mulita launched her career as an official translator and administrative assistant. Meanwhile, over the last few years, she has worked as a project officer in different civil society organizations. Her varied background includes international experience as well, while during her studies abroad she completed her internship working as an Arts program coordinator.
She has a keen interest in cultural interaction, tourism, and history.
Ms Myftari holds a B.A. in English Language and Philology from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece and a Master degree in Applied Foreign Languages and Cross-Cultural Negotiation from Université Paul Valéry, Montpellier, France.
She held the position of Administrative Assistant at CITIBANK N.A. from 2009 until 2014 when her position was transferred to Alpha Bank S.A. until 2018. In January 2019, Ms Myftari entered the field of International Relations in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) by joining the Department of International Relations of the University of Montpellier (UM) as a European Project Assistant at first and shortly went on taking over several Erasmus+ funded projects as Project Manager until November 2020. She has actively participated in Erasmus+ Program calls with a high rate of funding succession.
Ms Myftari has been involved in projects promoting Sustainable Development within European HEI campuses, the development of Internationalization at home in South Mediterranean HEIs and also in projects promoting the integration of international students by coordinating the first ‘Welcome week’ for international students at the University of Montpellier in 2019.
She was born in Albania, grew up in Greece and moved to France for two years to pursue a career in International Affairs before joining RYCO in November 2020 and returning to her homeland again.
Ms Gjini holds a degree in Finance and Accounting from the Economic Faculty at University of Tirana. She has an experience of ten years as an accountant in the private sector in Albania.
During her studies, she has been a part of numerous local NGO projects and took part in a scientific conference publishing a paper on the perspective of Euro in the Albanian Economy.
Her portfolio holds a wide range of training activities from VAT to the National Accounting Standards and Financial Reporting, which have contributed to her having a broad professional expertise in the respective fields. Her experience in the private sector varies from the auditing office to the oil and gas sector and in the legal sector recently as an accounting manager. During her work, she has also been engaged on USAID projects, where she has served as a financial officer.
From December 2016 Ms Gjini is a certified tax expert. She has an artistic eye and love for photography. She is a self-taught digital designer with a strong sense of crafting.
Mr Prendi holds a BA in Law from the European University of Tirana and a Master degree with honors on Scientific Criminal Law from the Faculty of Law, University of Tirana. He is licensed as an Attorney at Law and is a member of the Albanian Bar Association. Following his passion regarding rule of law and promoting human rights protection, Mr Prendi has been practicing and improving his legal skills starting from the 2nd year of BA studies, by participating in different court sessions. He has participated in moot courts organized by European Law Students Association as well as in different youth NGO-s, offering legal advice and support on drafting and proposing youth policies with a focus on youth empowerment, youth participation in the decision-making processes and youth collaboration in the domestic and regional level.
Mr Prendi has also been occupied in law-oriented NGO-s in which he has offered legal expertise in implementing projects with the aim of approximating the domestic legal framework with the EU’s Acquis, as an essential component of the Justice Reform in Albania. Regarding his professional skills, he has further improved and developed them by working as a lawyer assistant in “TP & Partners”, “Premier Consultancy Group”, and legal studios focused mainly in civil and corporate law/criminal law, offering contractual, litigation and consulting services. He has a consolidated experience in revising and drafting various contracts for different Ltd-s and JSC-s, conducting legal research, offering legal consultation etc.
Mr Prendi had the honor of participating in intercultural program exchanges in the region and is very motivated in offering his contribution in relevance with his respective field of expertise, in a cool and unique organization such as RYCO.
His main hobbies are fitness, participating in different deliberations, enhancing critical thinking while offering innovative and pragmatic solutions for youth empowerment through youth activation and collaboration. He believes that the only way of fostering common progress and prosperity is by conducting holistic approaches and not individual oriented ones.
Ms Bakuli holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Tirana. Since the beginning of her career, her professional development has been focused on the field of public procurement. She has worked in the public administration holding the status of a civil servant for more than twelve years.
Ms Bakuli has also been engaged as an external procurement expert for several institutions of the healthcare system as well as a short-term expert for international organizations in Albania such as UNICEF and WHO.
Her professional background includes a wide range of training activities on procurement management, prevention of conflict of interest and anti-corruption policies.
Jelena Kulidžan is an experienced communication expert, with a background in journalism and PR, gained in local, regional, and international media outlets and organizations. She graduated in journalism at the Faculty of Political Science in Podgorica in 2008.
During her 10 years long journalistic career on television, she closely observed and reported on events in the country in different areas and cooperated with the high representative of the state, civic society, diplomatic core, etc, first as a journalist then as editor and anchor of prime-time news.
Aiming to continue professional development by gaining new skills, she has branched out to a new field – the public relations sector in 2015. By working in a PR agency for more than three years, she mastered advanced PR techniques, such as the production and implementation of different types of PR content, media appearances, strategies, campaigns, and managing social networks.
Before joining RYCO as a Communication and Visibility Manager, Jelena was working as Public Information and Communication officer in the Europe House for four years. Her main responsibilities included strategically arranging media presentations for Europe House and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro. She also has valuable experience in planning and implementing high-profile events, campaigns, and long-term communication strategies, dedicated to the promotion of EU values and standards. Jelena is a certificated media literacy trainer.
Besides her professional interests, Jelena is passionate about promoting and protecting women's rights, while she likes to spend her free time hiking, dancing, and exploring new places.