Eighty-three women from 55 rural and urban communities and 12 partner women’s organizations took part in the annual Women’s Circle gathering held in Struga from July 4 to 6. Held for the seventh consecutive year under the motto “Woven Women’s Vision,” this year’s event focused on building unity through creative message-making and conversations about women’s solidarity and the values that drive activists in the pursuit of women’s rights and gender equality.

On the first day, the women created handcrafted artworks through which they shared messages envisioning positive changes for women. They also talked about the meaning of solidarity—defined as support, mutual assistance, care, community, and humanity.

On the second day, participants engaged in small group discussions to reflect on and question their own values and widely accepted societal principles that guide them as activists. They shared examples of both formal and informal discriminatory practices against women and explored how they can address these challenges individually or collectively, through solidarity with other women.

As part of the annual Women’s Circle gathering, representatives from local women’s organizations shared good news about positive changes in their communities—results of their continued activism.

Some of the changes achieved between the two gatherings through advocacy efforts included: waste removal, securing a meeting space for women’s gatherings, and providing access to clean drinking water.

The women also addressed the ongoing challenges they face, with particular emphasis on the lack of access to clean water and unreliable transportation.

In one of the final sessions, the participants discussed advocacy strategies and shared their visions for future change—topics they plan to revisit at the next Women’s Circle.