Anxhela (Albania)

Anxhela, 16, is passionate about making sure that children, and especially girls, can get an education and are empowered to speak up for their rights. At the age of 13, she joined a child-led group that advocates for children’s issues, which has allowed her to develop her communication, self-confidence, and teamwork skills. She is now recognized as a leader in this group and is known for inspiring other girls to make their voices heard and for holding her community accountable to the specific priorities of children. Anxhela helps amplify the needs of her peers through participation in a Children’s Advisory group to the local Municipality Council where she advocates to improve child participation in decision-making, school infrastructure and safety, and primary health care for children. At the national level, she and her peers successfully lobbied the Parliament of Albania to appoint the first ever Commissioner of Child Rights Protection and Promotion Section. Anxhela has also contributed to a number of national-level research initiatives and reports, including a report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was presented in Geneva in April 2019.