Rrogozhine, Albania. The bit where no-one ventures – the ghetto. Where the government have given up hope, so, although primary education is compulsory and free, only half of primary aged children attend school. Half! Can you imagine half of the children in your neighbourhood not in school, at home all day, learning not much except that life is an endless cycle of poverty and hopelessness? Then replace your neighbourhood and its relative luxury with the reality of life in an Albanian slum. Playgrounds and rubbish dumps are interchangeable. One man’s rubbish is now a child’s treasure…this is just not good enough.
After months of searching, A2B Albania have finally secured a building for their new kindergarten – it has been a battle as few are willing to rent out a place for this marginalised community. They have an amazing vision for the building to be transformed into a kindergarten and community centre, first providing education for the youngest generation, then after-school clubs for primary aged children, followed by education classes for young people and adults who are illiterate. The team will make special efforts to engage with parents, as this is a vital step in breaking the negative community attitudes towards education. The community centre will also provide up to two meals a day for anyone who attends. Malnutrition is rife in this impoverished community, leading to poor health and adversely affecting every area of life. Providing nourishing meals for these families will be as important as the education they receive.
There is huge potential for this centre to be truly transformative for this community, BUT the building hasn’t been used for 8 years and is in a state of significant disrepair. Before they can welcome 30-50 children a day and begin this life-transforming project, the building needs renovating and we need Your Help!
The renovations needed include: repairing & insulating the roof; restoring electrics & plumbing; re-plastering the kitchen; new walls to create new spaces; an outdoor play area. Once these repairs are completed, the building needs furnishing with desks, chairs, tables, kitchen goods, toys and toilets! The team are passionate about bringing change to this community for the long-term. Their experience in running community centres and kindergartens in Peqin and Elbasan means they know that the hard work they need to put in will be worth it.
We know that early years intervention is the best way to break the cycle of poverty. Invest now, and the whole community will reap the rewards in years to come. Our experience across Southeast Europe is backed up by various research studies: good early years education is an essential stepping stone in life. Children are far more likely to start and complete their primary education if they start their educational journey with a good kindergarten – our success rate in Bulgaria is 100% – 10 years on, all of our graduates are still in education, this is highly unusual. The Roma community we work with in Rrogozhine, is hugely underserved, neglected and forgotten by the state. There is no early years education. 80% of the community is illiterate. Hope for a better future has been abandoned by many, but not by our partners A2B Albania!
Can you help us get this project up and running? For the cost of a meal out, you could help get a child’s life on track. Your gift really could be the difference between a life of purpose, hope and security and a life of uncertainty, poverty and vulnerability to exploitation.