In Gjirokaster, Help Roma Children Stay in School

Ledja is very young, but she has dealt with great grief. A few years ago, her brother was with their father helping collect metal in order to sell it and get a small amount of money. While they were working, Ledja’s brother was hit by a car and killed. He was 10.

Ledja comes from a very poor family, where both parents are illiterate. In many such situations, there’s no option for the children except to collect metal scraps or plastic in order to sell it for meager wages.

Thankfully, our center in Gjirokastër provides an alternative for children, so they don’t have to be working in the streets. We help them with their homework for school and feed them a hot lunch. We give them options for more of a future. On top of it all, the staff at our center there spends time with and invest in the lives of the children during every step of the way.

In response to what she has felt, Ledja wrote a letter to the staff members of the soup kitchen expressing her gratitude for what they have done (a photo of the letter is included below). Here is the translation:

“Aunty Kristina, Aunty Refo, Aunty Orjana, Uncle Arjan, I love you so much. Thank you for building us a new playground. Aunty Kristina and Aunty Orjana thank you for helping us with our school homework. Aunty Refo thank you for the delicious food that cook for us. Uncle Arjan thank you for driving us from the school to the center. I love you so much.”

This is what it’s all about. About touching the lives of these children and showing them the love they all deserve.

Warmly,

James Leithart

Communications Director, NG USA

I’ve been living in Albania for over 5 years at this point. And about every 6 months, I travel from my hometown of Pogradec to the southern city of Gjirokastër. The drive takes somewhere between four and six hours, depending on the traffic and which route I choose. The reasoning behind the timing is that to be able to communicate to supporters around the world, we need up to date visuals of what is happening in the project, as well as hearing first-hand accounts of how lives have been impacted through our work.

When I first started going, I was the obvious foreigner. Taller than the average Albanian, and a style of dress that made me stand out. This was a contributing factor into why many of the children that are client of the program were extremely shy around me. I didn’t speak their language, I looked different, and I was always holding a camera.

However, over the past 5 years, I have noticed a shift in their attitude towards me. The children that were on the older side of our age parameters have moved on out of the program, and many of the children that are currently there have never known a time without my presence (albeit a bit infrequent). But they recognize me now. They smile at the camera. They understand why I’m there and that I will come back.

But all of this has caused me to look differently at these clients. They come into the program as small children, stay for a few years, and move on to other things as a teenager. I see new faces every year, and noticed faces that are no longer around. And it makes me think about how relatively little time we have to impact their lives in a positive way. In the grand scheme of things, the years they spend coming to our soup kitchen is but a small fraction of the live they will live. However, we have an opportunity to make a real difference in that time. It is through the help of donors like you that this difference can be made. It may not happen in a single day, or month, or even year, but the kindness and dedication that Nehemiah Gateway and their supporters have the possibility to influence those lives for years to come. A donation today could be the spark that leads to generations of change.

Warmly,

James Leithart

Communications Director, NG USA