History

Our work in Albania began in 1992. Based in the city port of Durres, employing only Albanian nationals, various aid, health and Christian outreach programmes were all established. We worked to meet the needs of Durres’ most vulnerable people, the poor, orphaned, blind and many ex-political prisoners. Just two years later the Albanian government officially recognised our work and awarded Albania’s highest commendation - the Mother Theresa Award - to MWB’s founding President.

Our faithful Albanian staff remained operational during the 1997 civil uprising, and subsequently were one of the first to distribute emergency aid immediately following the crisis. Our work supporting ethnic Albanian Kosovar refugees expanded dramatically in 1999, when the number of refugees in Durres increased from 500 to 70,000.

 

Albania Today

In the surrounding areas of Durres and beyond, families are often found living on other people’s debris. As the landfill lorries arrive to empty out their rubbish, they gather to salvage what they can to eat, wear and use. Infant mortality is high in the villages where there are so few medical facilities.

Our work has now extended beyond Durres. Now MWB combine their efforts with churches to provide facilities and volunteers. This means thousands of people are now being helped. These are some of the ways in which they are being given worth and helped out of the poverty cycle:

Vocational training, Summer Camps, MotherCare, Family to Family, Medical Clinics, Scholarships, Emotional Support, Christian Ministry.

Read Hasbije’s story and learn how a family’s life has been changed for the better.

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Additional Resources:BBC Fact File - if you click on the link then a new browser window will open to display a page on the BBC web site