VENERA LOSHAJ: A JOURNEY FROM KOSOVO TO CANADA FUELS A LOVE FOR STORYTELLING
Venera Loshaj is an Albanian/Canadian writer in British Columbia who has woven her late-blooming passion for painting and writing with a harrowing past into a powerful narrative. Her work reflects her family’s escape from Serbia’s war in Kosovo and their new beginning in Canada.
Back in Kosovo, Loshaj earned a Chemistry degree from the University of Pristina, while her husband trained as an electrical engineer. Living modestly in Deqan with their family, their lives took a dramatic turn when the Kosovo War broke out. “We became refugees in Montenegro in 1998, fleeing Serbian attacks,” she recalls. “We stayed three months in Ulqin, searching for a safe route to a third country. We tried Sarajevo but returned to Ulqin shortly after, still without a solution. Eventually, we went back to Kosovo, only to be deported to Albania during the 1999 exodus. We spent over two months there, too scared to stay in camps after hearing they were unsafe for women, so we rented a private home in Tirana.”
She recalls a freightening experience as a mother of two, constantly fearing for her children’s safety. Her family narrowly escaped the war’s worst—her brother was wounded, and her sister, Dr. Ryve Loshaj, served on the frontlines. They were fortunate to survive. The war drove nearly a million out of their homes and killing over 10,000 Albanian during Serbia's ethnic cleansing which faced international backlash.
Through ‘Operation Parasol,’ an emergency airlift program that relocated over 5,000 Kosovo refugees to Canada, Loshaj and her family joined Canada’s family reunification program. “Arriving in Canada felt like a rebirth for me and my children—a fresh start,” she says. “But even with gratitude, integrating was tough.” She arrived with her husband, two kids, parents, and sister, sponsored by her brother, who’d come as a refugee just six months prior.
Her writing journey began in 2019 with 'The Shoe Project', a program for immigrant women, founded by celebrated Canadian author Catherine Govier. “Sharing my story there felt surreal,” Loshaj says. Her short story, a hit in the program, earned a spot in a Canadian anthology celebrating immigrant women’s voices, enriching the nation’s cultural tapestry. The Shoe Project, with chapters nationwide, uses shoes as a storytelling lens to reveal immigrant women’s journeys. From 300 submissions, Loshaj’s tale was selected for the 10th anniversary event in Toronto, featured among ten stories from ten countries. It also appeared in a documentary by filmmaker Reem Morsi, marking the start of her writing career.
That debut spurred a book project, culminating in her 5,000-word story, 'Geographies of the Heart', published last year. The piece, tracing her refugee experience and Canadian resettlement, became a breakout success—promoted in universities, colleges, and named to 'The Hill Times' top 100 books of 2024. It captures the struggles, triumphs, and resilience of her journey.
Through storytelling Loshaj has taken the opportunity to giving back. “I held a month-long plant sale, raising $1,000 for The Shoe Project charity with donations from book club friends and my own garden,” she explains. “I wrote about it for their newsletter, hoping to spark others to contribute their own talents.”
“My family and I are thankful to Canada for the opportunity it provided us—from being refugees to becoming citizens of a civilized nation. I have so many great memories from my early days in Canada.” But those early days didn’t come without sacrifices and struggles “We hadn’t researched life in Canada and were unprepared for the challenges. Our credentials were not accepted, and we had to start from the bottom to prove ourselves and climb up. We didn’t rely on welfare; instead, both of us took student loans. I completed a one-year course in esthetics from Blanche Macdonald, while my husband earned a diploma as a Microsoft Engineer in Networking from BCIT” Despite the hurdles, she cherishes the compassion of strangers who welcomed them. Loshaj also supports her Albanian community in British Columbia. “The kindness of strangers moved me deeply, and I am forever grateful to those who treated us with such compassion” says Loshaj.
“Now, I like to believe I am fortunate to belong to two countries: Kosova and Canada. If home is where your heart belongs, my heart belongs to both.” says Loshaj
Loshaj’s story on The Shoe Project can be found here: https://theshoeproject.online/news/venera-loshaj-balaj-surrey-bc