In 1998 aged eleven, Lorika and her family were forced to leave Kosovo and walk into what we now know as North Macedonia to face life as refugees. From Macedonia, the family were placed in a tented refugee camp in Turkey.

Lorika was never going to let a war get in the way of her learning, and she even learnt some Turkish while a refugee there.

Once the war was over, she and her family returned to Kosovo. She excelled in her studies and amazed her parents with the idea of spending a year in the USA. Thus, at age 15, Lorika set off for Texas.

Lorika then secured a place in a private international school in London, where she completed a degree course in finance. She went on to secure a situation with HSBC Bank and was set to live her best life in London.

But life doesn’t always go to plan, and after her father suggested that Kosovo needed its talent living abroad to return home and help with the country's overall development.

Despite being very happy in London, Lorika knew she had to return and do her bit. With financial education and knowledge of banking, it was clear what she had to offer.

As time flies, it was ten years later when Lorika knew she needed a new challenge. With her interest in the environment and awareness of the importance of fashion in Kosovo, Lorika amazed her friends and business colleagues when she announced she would launch a slow fashion business.

With Kosovo probably the last place in the world where the environment was a topic of conversation around the dining table, Lorika had her work cut out. However, she knew she was right, and very soon, her company Punë n`Dorë was being showcased by the news media and covered in magazine articles.

The Covid pandemic may have temporarily upended her business and environmental plans. However, today, Punë n`Dorë are very much at the centre of business environmental action and recycling in Kosovo, and Lorika is an entrepreneurial role model.

Something with… is the official podcast of Something To Aim At... dedicated to purposeful living.

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Music: The Two Regs

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