In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor

Dear friends, 

As the weather begins to turn cooler in the remote hill villages around Pogradec, Albania, the humanitarian team at NG's clinic has started another round of aid deliveries to the people who live there. Our aid deliveries are essential to these villagers. In the years since the fall of the Albanian communist regime, many Albanians have left for the improved employment opportunities in towns and cities. Those who remain, usually because of their circumstances, see infrastructure-- roads, post offices, schools-- deteriorating and closing, leaving them isolated and living in poverty.

Nehemiah Gateway Albania's humanitarian team brings bundles of food staples, cleaning supplies, and donated clothing to about 150 households in the villages several times a year. The roads get worse every year, and delivering bundles of aid is a multi-day proposition requiring skilled driving and navigation. 

The story of the villages varies little from year to year, and the needs remain. We are happy to help them-- and grateful that, in contributing to this project, you have helped them too. 

With gratitude,

Sarah Pita

Development Director, NG USA

PS Note that, in addition to bringing aid to the villages, In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor helps many people in Pogradec who are living in poverty. In 2020, many people with health conditions face huge challenges to taking care of themselves. Your continued support is helping them as well. 

Dear friends--

When Albania went into a nationwide lockdown in early March, Nehemiah Gateway worked with donors, GlobalGiving, and the City of Pogradec to expand the reach of its longstanding aid delivery program. The people we normally help--people who are old and alone, struggling with chronic health conditions, or trapped in a cycle of poverty-- continued needing aid. Many Albanians who live from day to day found themselves needing help as well, as their precarious livelihoods were put on hold by the lockdown. During March and April of 2020, Nehemiah Gateway delivered over 1000 aid parcels to people in need in Pogradec and Gjirokastër. 

At present, lockdowns in Albania have been substantially lifted. Nonetheless, the In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor program continues providing basic aid deliveries to society's most vulnerable-- and will continue doing so as long as aid is needed. This support saves lives-- especially in the era of COVID-19. By safely delivering necessities to people with chronic health conditions, we are helping them limit their exposure to other people, and thus their risk of infection.

With cases of COVID-19 increasing in Albania, it will become increasingly important to help vulnerable people stay home. And, if another lockdown occurs, In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor will be prepared to step up again to help the communities it serves. 

We are grateful for your support of this progam. 

Be well,

Sarah Pita

The humanitarian team at NG spends many hours every year visiting the villages around Pogradec, not only bringing needed food and supplies to people in difficult circumstances, but also showing compassion and making them feel less invisible. The food and supplies are always welcome, and they give our team a chance to connect with people who are often forgotten. 

Fatime, pictured above, lives in the village of Çerravë, southeast of Pogradec. At 75, she suffers from hemiparesis (paralysis on one side of her body). She lived for a long time with a daughter with special needs; after that daughter passed away, she lived with her son for a while and now is living with her other daughter. Nehemiah Gateway provides Fatime and her daughter with food parcels and home visits to make sure there aren't other unmet needs.

Fatime's is just one of 190 households the NG team regularly visits. Sometimes, aid  is the boost that makes it possible for people to begin building a more self-sufficient existence. Other times, it is a needed support for people who are perpetually falling through holes in Albania's social safety net. 

Your generous support helps people like Fatime. You can contribute to this ongoing program here.

With gratitude,

Sarah Pita

Development Director, NG-USA

Dear friends--

The In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor project continues to bring food, supplies, clothing, and medicine to 190 families  in the Pogradec area of Albania year-round.  The people we help are in need due to poverty, illness, disability, unemployment, crisis, and geographical isolation. With your help, we provide aid, social services, and medical support to people who would not get it otherwise. 

Recently, the NG team visited the remote mountain villages in the Mokra area outside Pogradec. The roads to Mokra are terrible, and get worse every year.  A professor at Nehemiah Gateway University who lives in Pogadec accompanied the team. He says he was surprised at the abject poverty he witnessed in some households. One old woman who lives alone has holes in her roof that she patches with plastic sheeting every time it rains, climbing up on to the loosely tiled roof herself to put up the plastic in the rain and then removing them when the sun comes out. Food aid helps, but "much more assistance is needed," he says.

This project will continue as long as there are people in the Pogradec area who go to bed cold, hungry and without a good roof over their heads every night. You can help make their new year brighter and warmer by continuing to support this project here.

With best wishes for a happy holiday season and wonderful new year,

Sarah Pita

Development Director, Nehemiah Gateway USA

This summer, volunteers Tracy and Mitch Dalton of Estes Park, Colorado visited Pogradec. In addition to volunteering at Amaro Tan's summer camp, they were able to visit NG Albania's programs. They accompanied the social work team on home visits, and Tracy provided the following report of her experiences:

The Social and Medical Improvement team at Nehemiah Gateway (NG) has formed relationships with many different families in and around Pogradec. These families have many different needs, and the team works to take care of each family and the individual family members. Home visits allow the team to keep a presence throughout the community, especially for families with members with mobility challenges who cannot visit the NG clinic.

The home visitation program is unique, and families are very hospitable to visitors. I went along for a couple of visits, and the families I met are special people with tremendous stories. The social worker visits with the families to determine their needs, and works to provide for whatever those needs are. In some cases it can be a listening ear, while in other cases it may be medical or mental health care.  I saw individuals who were housebound due to paralysis and muscle pain. The social worker provided a massage while visiting, which helped to ease pain and discomfort, and talked to the family to better understand their challenges. During the visit, the families offered coffee, water, and treats. These families often don't have much extra for themselves, but they provide what they have to visitors without hesitation, and with much grace. It is amazing to visit people who give so much when they have so little.

The Social and Medical Improvement team at Nehemiah Gateway provides a connection for families who might otherwise be overlooked by society. Whether it is for a member with special needs, or a medical condition, the SMI team gives people the opportunity to live a full life even with hard circumstances. 

Your donation to "In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor" is helping families like these to make ends meet, and easing the burdens of poverty, isolation and physical pain. The project is ongoing, and the team visits dozens of families like these every month. 

Thank you for your generous support.

Sincerely,

Sarah Pita