With no welfare support to speak of, an illness that stops one parent working can spell disaster in Albania.
Albania takes up a disproportionate amount of space in our media. The small country just across the Adriatic from Italy seems to feature for all the wrong reasons. How many headlines have you seen this year that include the word Albanian, followed by “gangs, criminals, immigrants, illegals”? Why are so many of its people so desperate to leave? Entrenched corruption in nearly all walks of life and lack of employment are some of the main factors. Life is tough, with almost no prospect that it will be anything but a hard grind. The chances are high that you will find yourself struggling more and more just to survive, and the state will not help you when trouble comes calling.
House of Opportunity partners A2B offer support for people who find themselves in difficulties in central Albania. One of its projects is Family Link, which provides vital interventions for families in hardship. A2B’s Director, Alketa Hasani, told us about a recent case.
“We recently received an urgent call from a social worker for child protection in Cerrik, alerting us to a family in a desperate situation. The family, with a baby girl just 7 months old, had run out of food and essentials. The mother had been taken ill since giving birth, and the father has been looking after the children, his wife and trying to make enough money selling second-hand clothes to support them all. After 7 months they had used up all their savings and resources and were facing a truly heart-breaking struggle.
That’s when A2B stepped in. Social services from the local government reached out to us, and a small team quickly drove out to meet the family, learn more about their situation, and offer immediate help.
We were able to provide them with a much-needed care package, including food, powdered milk for the baby, nappies, baby bottles, hygiene products, detergents, toys, and blankets for the children. We also brought along two boxes of clothing for the family. To make sure their older son didn’t feel left out, we gave him some toys too, which brought a big smile to his face. Our plan is to continue supporting this family until the mother recovers, and both parents are back on their feet and able to provide for their children”.
This family is not unique. Alketa and her team respond to as many calls for help as they can, but their resources are limited. “We regularly receive requests for this kind of help, and the need is constant. There’s a waiting list for sponsorship under our Family Link programme. If you are in a position to offer support, please do consider getting in touch. Every donation you make goes into the project supporting families like this one, providing essentials that make all the difference. Thank you for standing with us and for helping us make a real impact in these families’ lives”.
If you would like to find out how you can sponsor the Family Link programme, get in touch with us at family@houseofopportunity.org.
