Situation in the Mokra

City or country – that makes a huge difference in countries like Albania. City life is not necessarily comparable to conditions in Germany or similar countries either, but there are jobs, supermarkets, doctors, leisure facilities and so on. The mountain villages, however, are a completely different world. They are difficult to reach due to the poor roads and are therefore detached from the general development. People live in very basic conditions or in poverty, most families live off a little farming and a few animals. Men often work abroad as seasonal workers, young people move to the cities.

In order to give the children from the mountain villages a chance for a better life, education is essential. The state runs primary and secondary schools in larger mountain villages. The teachers there usually make great efforts, but there is a lack of school furniture, educational materials and computers, and the buildings are often in a desolate condition.

Services for school children in the dormitory

The children’s center in Bishnica is a residential home for pupils from even more remote villages. The kids attend the village school right across the street; in the afternoons, our staff offer them individual learning support and additional courses, as well as psychological and medical care. At weekends and during vacations, the children are at home with their families; some children from very poor families get care by day.

The pupils are provided with:

• A safe place to live
• Regular meals and clothing
• Health care, e.g. visits to the dentist
• Psychological support
• School education in the public school, until graduation after the 9th grade
• Individual homework supervision and additional courses (music, creativity, language lessons)
• Special activities: sports, indoor games, excursions, celebrations (Christmas, Easter, International Children’s Day, etc.)
• Promoting their personality, talents and social skills so that they can find their place in life and society

For children from some villages, our dormitory is still the only way to get a school education at all. For children from some poor families, on the other hand, learning support is the main benefit. In the meantime, several generations of pupils have gone through school with us, and they appreciate it: Even when they start a training course in the city after school, they are very grateful that the children’s center has given them a good start in life.

Care for children with special needs

In addition to these pupils, we take in children from difficult backgrounds: Children who no longer have parents or who cannot live with their parents due to the problems there. Such children are usually referred by the social authorities. Not only do they live with us all year round and therefore receive full-time care, they often also need special support to achieve basic language skills, social competence and learning ability.

The challenges we face

The dormitory was originally set up as an emergency solution after small village schools were closed. The pupils were accommodated in simple rooms, which were built by volunteers using donated materials from Germany. Women from the village were employed to look after the children and a number of additional specialists (social worker, teacher, child psychologist) were hired as part-time staff.

However, the project has long since become a permanent institution. Meanwhile, the premises no longer meet today’s standards; in addition, the official requirements (supervision ratio, salaries, pocket money) are increasing, not to mention the higher costs for food and heating. We are therefore faced with the double challenge of not only meeting higher requirements; we also need a fundamental improvement in accommodation (with a new building) and care (with qualified staff, especially for children with special needs). And all this on a donation basis.

Please help us to continue and expand the care offered by the children’s center: through regular donations for the operation, and by supporting the new building project – for the children of Bishnica.