Monthly Mobile Library for Albanian Children

Dear Supporter,

The mountains are basking in glorious sunshine in Tropojë and since early June the children have been on their long school summer break.  What can they do for more than three months vacation?  Their parents and family are busy in the fields with little time to give them.  For one young boy, his summer will be full of the enjoyment of having books to read and pictures of places and animals he has never seen.

Ardit is six years old and lives in Cernice, a small village not too far away from the city of Bajram Curri.  He was eager to join the Mobile Library, but his father was too busy to come with Ardit and register his son as a member of the library.  Ardit decided that if he was ever to become a library user and be able to borrow books he had to do something.  So, when Ilir and the library next called in Cernice, Ardit gave Ilir a small piece of paper and on it was his father's telephone number.  He asked Ilir to phone his father and for them to agree to Ardit being registered in the library.  Ilir was happy to oblige and telephoned Ardit's father and Ardit became a new member of the library.  The first book he chose was full of coloured pictures of animals.

Many other children like Ardit want to have books to read and pictures to look at.  With your support, we can make their dreams come true.

Wednesday 18^th July 2018, is a Rewards Bonus Day, with funds available to match your donations!  From 9:00 in the morning Eastern Time (15:00 in Europe and 1400 in the UK), GlobalGiving Foundation will match 50% every donation up to 500 USD, as long as 120,000 Matching Funds last. 

Please donate so that we can purchase more books for young children like Ardit and others like him who will start school in September.

Thank You!

Dear Supporter,

Spring has arrived and with it lovely warm weather and the opportunity to see the new growth on trees and in the fields.  The Mobile Library can now reach the most isolated villages cut off by snow during the winter.

I want to tell you about two of the children who are benefiting from the Mobile Library and its monthly services, Yulia and Beni.

Yulia is 10 years old and lives with her family in Zogaj.  Zogaj is a small village high up in the mountains bordering on Kosovo.  Apart from the homes, the school and the mines there is nothing else in the village.  Families in Zogaj are primarily employed in agriculture and in the chrome mines.  Yulia is one of a group of six girls who are from families whose lives are based on the Quran.  Before Yulia became a member of the library the only books she had to read was the Quran or stories related to the Quran.  Joining the Mobile Library has offered Yulia other books that she can choose from and which provide her with the opportunity to read about other children, where they live, what adventures they have and different lifestyles.  If the Mobile Library were not visiting each month Yulia's access to a range of books and games would cease.

Beni is 4 years old and is from a Roma family.  They live on the outskirts of Bajram Curri.  He has two older sisters who have never been to school and cannot read or write.  Even so, his sisters are regular visitors to the Mobile Library; they choose books with pictures in or books that have simple puzzles in so they can complete them.  Beni doesn't go to kindergarten, so he does not have the opportunity to learn to read, learn songs or play with other similar aged children.  Beni loves to draw, so the visits of the library are very important as he can have some paper or drawings, some pencils and spend his time drawing and colouring them in.  For Beni, if the Mobile Library stops visiting his Roma neighbourhood, he and his sisters will not have any opportunity to see or look at a book and he will not get to colour in the drawings he likes so very much. 

Although Yulia and Beni live in two very different communities in Tropojë Municipality, they both are living in poor environments.  The lack of amenities and resources for children to read, draw, play and socialise are all influencing their development.  The Mobile Library is needed to bridge some of the deficits in these areas.

The Mobile Library needs your support or it may be forced to reduce the number of visits it makes to each village.  Please donate to keep the library running every month!