Malesia Association of California

Malesia Association of California is a volunteer-run Albanian-American nonprofit based in Santa Ana, serving the Albanian community across Southern California. The group takes its name from Malësia, the highland region straddling northern Albania and Montenegro, and welcomes Albanians from that area and surrounding parts of Albania who have settled in the region.

The association describes itself as a community effort launched in 2019, formed so that Albanians in Southern California could work together on shared challenges instead of tackling them individually. It is organized around events and causes that members vote on, and it operates entirely with volunteers — no salaries are paid, and donations go toward programming and minimal administrative costs.

It is registered as a charitable nonprofit headquartered in Santa Ana and listed in public nonprofit directories including Charity Navigator. The organization keeps a small operational footprint, with its decisions about how to use funds made directly by its members rather than by paid staff.

For Albanian families across the Los Angeles, Orange County, and broader Southern California area — particularly those with roots in Malësia — the association functions as a local point of connection, organizing community gatherings and supporting causes that matter to its members. More information is available at malesiaca.org.