Food Security Albania Project #34159

In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor

by Nehemiah Gateway USA

Summary

Nehemiah Gateway has been providing food parcels, as well as medical and social help, to people in need in the Pogradec region of southeastern Albania since 1991. We help the poor, the marginalized, and the disabled move closer to a dignified and self-sufficient existence by first making it possible for them to meet their most basic needs. In 2022, inflation, exacerbated by war in Ukraine, has caused the cost of our aid parcels to increase by 50% while demand has also increased.

$20,000
total goal

$1,869
remaining

65
donors

0
monthly donors

3
years

Challenge

In Albania, 37% of people live in poverty (living on less than $5.50/day), and 5.8% live in absolute poverty (living on less than $1.90 per day). People spend over 40% of their income on food (in the US, it is 10%). Inflation, soaring in 2022 due to COVID-19 and war in Ukraine, is impacting how people can afford to live, turning necessities into luxuries and causing great stress and uncertainty. Demand for aid parcels from NG has increased even as the cost has increased by 50%.

Solution

We provide quarterly or monthly aid parcels to at least 400 households in need yearly in the Pogradec area. Recipients are referred or request assistance. Social work teams evaluate each case and respond with help including food, cleaning supplies, medicines, and donated clothing and shoes. Our services are one of the only safety nets our clients can access. Aid parcels supplement limited household resources, so people have the ability to plan-- even modestly-- beyond their next meal.

Long-Term Impact

Humanitarian aid is the first step toward restoring human dignity, meeting basic needs for food, clothing, and health. Sadly, the need for this basic dignity has increased greatly in Albania, and we are helping people survive this difficult time. Where needed, we help them learn skills that make employment possible. Children can better keep up with their education if they have enough to eat. In some families, having food to eat at home makes it more likely children will keep going to school.