Listen to women, for there are no obstacles on their path to achieving dreams

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The RCC's WE campaign for women's empowerment continues to present remarkable women from the Western Balkans – this time it is Uta Ibrahimi.

“When I started, they told me that hiking is for men, and I put in a lot of effort to prove them wrong and change their way of thinking. You can do the same, just listen to women!”, Ibrahimi said.

Kosovo, with more than half of its 1.8 million inhabitants under the age of 25 and nearly half women,  has one of the youngest populations in Europe. While politics is still dominated by men, young, talented and brave women are putting Kosovo on the world map, not through political positions but through their stunning achievements, the Regional Cooperation Council said in a statement.

One such remarkable woman is Uta Ibrahimi, who is not afraid of challenges. In 2017, she became the first woman from Kosovo to conquer Everest, the highest mountain peak on planet Earth. Since then, Uta has conquered four more mountain peaks over 8,000 meters, and plans to do the same with the remaining nine to complete her personal project of climbing the 14 highest peaks of the Himalayas.

Her life story is quite powerful. 

“I worked in marketing for twelve years, seven of which I was the director of a marketing agency. In 2015, I felt a strong need to leave all that behind, follow my dreams and do what I know best,” says Uta, who decided to leave a fairly good job and fully dedicate herself to hiking and discovering the true tourist beauties of Kosovo and the region for as many people from around the world as possible.

“I started working on several projects related to Via Dinarica, and in 2016 I launched my own outdoor tourism agency “Butterfly Outdoors”. I attended ATTA training, and now I lead groups for hiking and yoga, cycling and climbing,” adds Ibrahimi. 

Uta wants to engage as many female guides as possible in her agency, and she spends part of her time working with children with special needs.

“When I started, they told me that hiking is for men, and I put in a lot of effort to prove them wrong and change their way of thinking! You can do the same, just listen to women!”, she recalls.

Uta is aware that the number of visitors to the Western Balkans is constantly growing, at a rate of over 10% annually, and that in 2018 the region was visited by over 12 million people. Furthermore, statistics show that tourism accounts for 25% of the region's total exports, or nearly one-fifth of GDP. Almost 20% of all employed people in the Balkans work directly or indirectly in the tourism sector. 

Ibrahimi says: "Climbing/hiking is my passion, and I use my mission in the Himalayas to promote Kosovo and get as many people interested in the Balkans as possible. I already achieved this with the National Geographic Team when we reached a point at 7,800 meters on Lhotse South Face in 2019, and I will continue in my remaining nine expeditions".

Uta is one of the regional heroines, and following her story and those of her predecessors, Nada Marković and Aida Čorbadžić from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iris Gjinovci from Albania, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) continues the series of stories about women from the Western Balkans who are bringing change and inspiring us all to be the best versions of ourselves.

You can follow the WE campaign on social media channels: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. #ListenToWomen #SlušajteŽene