Albania
DIRECTION OF MWB’s MINISTRY IN ALBANIA.
High unemployment, insufficient pensions and rising food prices in Albania make the majority of families dependent on relatives living abroad. The unemployment rate in Albania is 30%, which does show some economical growth compared to three years ago. Also, there has been a considerable decrease in inflation compared to three years ago. But both these factors do not have an impact on the general economic state of the population, which remains dismal. This is because social welfare structures and policies imposed by the government are still ineffective, or, have not yet been sanctioned. Youth is obliged to emigrate, driven easily into illegal trafficking. But still it is them, who supply the largest part of income for their families back in Albania. Many children are exploited in Albania and are being misused as beggars. In some cases, they are transported illegally to Italy in boats to beg in the streets of Rome, turning them to illegal trafficking victims. The social and political disorders and traumas of the last 5 years have afflicted mostly the children. Crisis of identity and traditional values, such as family unity, care for children, respect for woman, paternal authority etc, have faded away. The loss of these values brought drastic problems to Albanian families, such as divorce, child abandonment and parent abandonment. Parallel to these issues are other related problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution etc. Education lost its impact. Because of low wages for teachers, (average-R650pm), corruption also erupted in the academic system, especially in the universities.
Summer camps for children, organised by MWB, have become the most effective way to help children - psychologically, emotionally and spiritually and it is clear that he Word of God is helping to ease the wounds suffered by these children.
The health care system has not improved either over the last three years. The public system is paralysed through corruption, which has led to price increases in medicine, food and other services within the public hospitals. The average middle class person can not afford the private service - which might be better quality - but very expensive. Poor health conditions plague expectant mothers and children. Maternal mortality is high and the infant mortality rate is the highest in Europe. The main reasons for maternal deaths are the large number of ‘back street’ abortions, in fact, a staggering 40% of pregnancies end up in abortion. Only 17% of women have access to contraception and poor maternal nutrition very often leads to hemorrhaging. A high prevalence of low birth weights and a very high infant death rate in the first 4 weeks of life -28% of live births - especially in rural zones - confirms the poor health conditions of expectant mothers. Antenatal care is also generally poor, with midwives lacking both skills and equipment. Although NGO’s, offering social and medical training for young women are focused on the psychological consequences of accidental or deliberate abortions, and the health state of mothers after abortion etc, there is nothing for the health state of expectant mothers or prenatal care for soon-born babies. Prenatal conditions is the leading killer of infants, since one third of infant deaths occur within the first month of life - with 50% of these occurring at home. Leading causes of death before the age of 5 are respiratory diseases related to dehydration and diarrhea. Parasitic diseases affect large numbers of children aged 1 to 4 and are caused by poor hygiene habits or access to safe water and sanitation. Mild malnutrition appears to be prevalent in the country, which, by reducing the body’s ability to combat disease, contributes to the high percentage of child deaths. Over the years, Mission Without Borders has been involved in improving the medical conditions at four key Medical Centers: Ishem, Maminas, Drac and Rubekja. These four villages are in the district of Durres city. The facilities have been refurbished, and we have committed to providing the supplies for their ongoing material needs. The beach communities of Durres makes up the focus of our work, mainly because of the stressed poverty level and extreme neglect of the existent medical centers there. Durres is the second largest developed city in the country with a population of 200,000 inhabitants. Durres has undergone a demographic boom lately with people from the northeast of the country settling there. Being a seashore city its population is very vulnerable to illegal human trafficking, prostitution and child abuse. We are presently seeing our vocational education projects as a great help in the economical and social growth of the target group we help. Seventy two high school students in Durres city have been certified every three months for their elementary computer skills gained in the computer courses organised by Mission Without Borders, Albania. The English Courses have also been considered by the families of the students as ” a great economical help in the nearest future.” Support for the poor families of this community has resulted from the sewing courses for mothers, as well as through our Family to Family, MotherCare and Vocational Education projects. The most considerable support Mission Without Borders Albania supplies is emotional and spiritual support.
Our Christian Outreach Program is also fulfilling its goals in bringing hope to the poor and needy, and through our Christian Literature and Christian Ministry, people are beginning to see a brighter future.
