Albania
History
Albania was the poorhouse of Europe even before the collapse of communism in 1991.
In 1996, the country tumbled into civil chaos. Desperate to find a way out of hopeless poverty, tens of thousands invested what little money they had in pyramid schemes, and with the collapse they lost everything.
Practically overnight, the country plunged into economic, political, social and criminal chaos, which lasted over six months, and claimed many lives.
The 1999 war in Kosovo further affected Albania, as the number of refugees in Durres increased from 500 to 70,000.
Albania Today and the Work of MWB
Our work in Albania began in 1992 and is centered in the Durres district. We focus our mission on families living in extreme poverty and support them with food, hygiene goods and health care. Employing only Albanian Nationals, various aid, Christian Outreach and Christian programs were established. By offering Bibles and other Christian literature, together with spiritual ministry, we give them a sense of hope by letting them know that someone cares.
Only two years after the foundation of MWB Albania, the Albanian Government officially recognised our work and awarded Albania’s highest commendation - The Mother Theresa Award- to MWB’s founding President.
Our faithful Albanian staff remained operational during the 1997 civil uprising, and subsequently were one of the first to distribute emergency aid immediately following the crisis. Our work supporting ethnic Albanian Kosovar refugees expanded again in 1999 following the Kosovo Crisis.
Our work has now extended beyond Durres. Now MWB combine their efforts with churches to provide facilities and volunteers. This means thousands of people are now being helped. These are some of the ways in which they are being given worth and helped out of the poverty cycle:
Read Hasbije’s story and learn how a family’s life has been changed for the better.
Helping AlbaniaSome related links of interest
