In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor

Being part of the Social and Medical Improvement (SMI) project is not a very easy job, especially when you are yourself a parent and part of a family, because it is one of the programs that tests even your deepest human feelings and emotions, which not all of us have experienced. Being part of this team, you should have a “strong stomach,” ongoing daily motivation and joy in the things that you do, because it is not easy to see children and parents fighting daily with health problems, poor and complicated socio-economic conditions, damaged relationships and challenges that are difficult for any of us to explain.

Nikoleta, Anjeza, Anila, Ekzona and Suela are part of this program, and every day it is required for them to find that motivation, every day to find that joy, every day to find strong and solid reasons why should they do what they do with full commitment. There are many times and days that they do not find it, they are sad and cannot go on, but most of the days they are fully committed and motivated and they receive more than they give from these children and parents which fight everyday with their fates.

June and July have been challenging months, but also very motivating for all the team. During these two months they have organized summer camps for children with special needs from different ages, but also, they distributed bikes as gifts to the children that receive therapy in our clinic in Bucimas, together with NG ambassador and German Paralympic World Champion, Matthias Schindler. Both activities have been very emotional, motivating and fulfilling for all involved, the children have shared with SMI social workers many touching and positive feelings. After the bike distributions, Anila has received some phone calls from the children where they have expressed their joy and disbelief that the bikes were actually theirs, because never in their lives have they received such a gift. And of course, for Anila this was the relaxation and fulfillment after a very tiresome day. These are the moments that Anila and all the SMI team gets their “charging” to go on further.

Organizing a daily summer camp for 3 weeks for children with special needs is not a walk in the park. Everything must be well organized and thoroughly thought through every detail, which Nikoleta does together with her team. These camps haven’t always been a success or without complications, working through the year with these children is a huge challenge, imagine a daily summer camp with them. But the success, the fulfillment and motivations that Nikoleta said that her and her team have received this year has been indescribable. A very challenging job, full of unknown, but in the end of this summer camp Nikoleta and her team got that ongoing motivation, they were rewarded fulfillment so they can go on further and they know exactly why organizations like Nehemiah Gateway are still so necessary for the community. The road ahead for both SMI program and the children they take care is very long and full of challenges, but these moments are the right thing for them to go on until the final destination.