In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor

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

Dear friend,

Many of the people who live in the villages in the mountains around Pogradec, Albania are there because they have nowhere else to go. Although there are no jobs, and there is little community infrastructure, people stay, living in crumbling stone buildings with no plumbing, heat, or electricity. They stay because the villages are their home, or because they are old, or sick, or injured, or confined by challenging circumstances.

This spring, your donation made it possible for Nehemiah Gateway's social work team to visit 145 households in Pogradec and the surrounding villages of Alarup, Bratomire, Nixhavec, Cerrave, Geshtenjas, and Dardhas. Your support brought them meals and supplies. Your support also made it possible for them to see compassionate, trained social workers who helped them work toward solutions to their challenges. 

In order to move toward dignified independence, people need to meet their most basic needs first. Your donation helped meet those needs for 145 households this spring. 

You can continue to help the poor in Albania through this ongoing program here. 

Thank you for your generosity.

All the best,

Sarah