Who are you trying to help? What issue are you trying to address?

For the last fifteen years, we have been helping young people with a physical disability in Albania. We had our own centre where many lives were touched and changed. We helped them overcome their fear of mixing with other people, and helped them integrate into society, training them in daily life skills, general education, English, computer skills and getting to know the Lord. We had to sell part of our property to pay off our bills and salary debt, but we have 2000 M2 of land left. Our vision is to set up a village-like structure, where we can provide training in interdependent community life, and provide therapy and business training. A business centre will be part of the project and there will be courses of biblical entrepreneurship. This is a follow up project to our former centre. 8 of our former students are at university, several got married, some need more training and guidance. We need a place of our own again where everything will be adapted and accessible. With this model we set a standard for Albania that can be copied in other parts of the country. We are in the centre of the country, between Tirana and the port of Durres.

What is your project and how will it help?

To set up a training centre, in the form of a small village-like structure, including units for independent living, but also a trade centre, educational environment, a house of prayer for all nations, sports environments (pool, tennis, basketball etc.), therapy rooms and equipment and a medical unit for first aid and special assistance as well as a business training and trading centre. This project helps young people with a physical disability to get out of their isolation and to become active members of society, contributing with their God given gifts to Albanian society. We have seen the fruits in the lives of those trained by us before: one is assistant pastor, one lady in a wheelchair has opened a kindergarten in our village, two are receptionists with World Vision, several are in a special forum for advocacy, all of our present full time office workers are people with a disability trained by us. People with a physical disability who have not been with us, usually have been spending all of their time hidden away inside their home, excluded from social contacts, feeling ashamed of their own condition, having no vision for their life and being seen as useless by their relatives. We know that we can make a difference in their life. And the old group members will be involved in training the new ones. They are role models with a clear testimony. The trading centre should also help to make the village independent financially and to give growth to the project and help its multiplication. It also provides job training and employment for the disabled.

How can other people partner with you on your project?

At the present stage we need finance to set up prefabricated buildings and to furnish and equip them; to do the landscaping, create the sports facilities and gardens. But also money to run activities like summer camps, to set up business projects, and training.

We need business partners, but also business coaches. We need physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others to volunteer with us spending time with the disabled but also to train Albanian therapists who are still inexperienced.

Please detail the resources that you need.

To set up a graphic printshop for advertising articles, we need 12.000 Euro; To house the printshop and its offices, we need 20.000 Euro; For every prefabricated home, we need 10.000 Euro, including furniture and fittings. To drill a waterhole, we need approximately 4000 Euro. (depending on the depth) And lots of other needs in building and furnishing and landscaping.