Our volunteer Veronika Zimova, which operates in Albania thanks to the support of SlovakAid, during the ADRA dinner and Christmas cabbage soup (on 6 December in KC UNIK in Bratislava) personally talked about her activities, successes and challenges.
All ADRA Albania partner projects are implemented in the Kruja region north of the capital Tirana. Veronika also worked on the „Integration after Migration“ project of the host organisation ADRA Albania. It is an effort to provide tutoring classes for children and adults in the Roma community in the Kruja region, but also on the outskirts of Durres, Albania's second largest city. Successful re-integration is indeed possible. The results of this Albanian project speak for it.
And although people are not numbers, still a few will give68 children have been enrolled in schools; 55 children from socially excluded communities regularly attend tutoring (for better integration into schools); 104 parents are undergoing indvidual career counselling with a view to employment. Our Veronika is part of this positive change on a daily basis. You will be able to hear her talk about development and humanitarian volunteering next time to hear it soon in Košice (23 January from 5 pm in the premises of the CASD Košice 2 Branch at 68 Hlavna Street).
Albania as a country is difficult to describe in a few words. Our volunteer was charmed by it in terms of rich culture and natural beauty. In the major cities and on the coast, tourism is very well developed, including the necessary infrastructure. However, the situation in the interior is quite different; the „wilderness“ of Albania's valleys and mountains can tempt many to explore. When it comes to hospitality, the Albanian population takes it to a whole new level. Although they would rub poverty, comfort and guest safety in the house, or a foreigner in their country is a matter of their honour and dignity.
In December 2018, our project manager, Noemi Sárossy, travelled to Albania (as part of the HVA project) to visit our Albanian partners ADRA Albania and the National Centre for Community Services (NCCS). These two organisations will host our seconded staff from July 2019 EU Aid Volunteers. The aim of the visit was to find out. future humanitarian volunteers work; what their working conditions will be like; whether their activities will be safe, etc... The result has been very positive - the organisations are fully prepared for the selected young people - all they have to do is apply: https://www.adra.sk/dobrovolnicke_vyzvy/
Text: Boba M. Baluchová, Photo: Boba Baluch, BOVÁ ADRA team
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Volunteer Veronika Zimova is working in Albania through SlovakAid's programme for sending volunteers to low-income countries. We will send more volunteers to Albania in the project Humanitarian Volunteers in Action (Humanitarian Volunteers in Action), which is funded by the European Commission under the EU Aid Volunteers.
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