Denisa Kasa

Denisa Kasa has been nominated for the Force for Positive Change Award by the RSM Alumni Relations Team for  volunteering to raise awareness of ecocide in the rivers of Albania. She is a Board Member at Fondacioni Gema, where she leads Rrjedha (The Flow)—an initiative focused on cleaning rivers and educating communities about their importance. Previously, she worked as an associate at Volta Ventures, Robeco, and Energy Investment Management in the Netherlands.

During her studies at RSM and professional experience, Denisa learned a lot about digital realities and world challenges, and in particular about energy transitions in the Asia-Pacific region and the chemicals and wastewater released into the rivers there. That led her to examine what was happening in her home country, Albania: “In Albania, one of the main rivers, Ishmi, has become one of the most polluted rivers in Europe, and two other rivers are following the same path. Therefore, I started documenting the pollution, fundraising to eliminate illegal dumpings, and organizing river clean-ups and walks to show people how river pollution and water abstraction for mining and tourist areas is destroying them. More than 200 people have now become active volunteers in this initiative and there have been multiple collaborations with local municipalities and administrative units.

Denisa also supports local initiatives focused on reducing consumption and recycling. “It was at RSM that I learned to think in ways that are not dogmatic, and to believe that one person alone can be a great enabler for change.”

She finances the local initiatives using the budget created from fundraising as well as her own savings. “This independent intervention is important as usually locals rely on EU funding which tends to be complicated and often does not address the root causes.” Denisa and her network aim to expand their impact beyond Albania to other Mediterranean rivers.