In Gjirokaster, Help Roma Children Stay in School

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