150 000 Euro to be given for children with different abilities

Tirana, June 27, 2014 - Thousands of children with different abilities in Albania, especially those living in villages and suburbs, will have more opportunities to go to school, be protected and access education in the right way. This will be possible from the new project of 150,000 euro, granted from the European Union.

This project was presented today in Tirana, during a national conference, organized by World Vision in cooperation with organizations MEDPAK and Partnerë për Fëmijët, Ministry of Education and Sports as well as Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth. The conference was attended by the Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the European Union Delegation to Albania, Mr.  Clive Rumbold, Vice Minister of Education and Sports, Ms. Nora Malaj and Ms Bardhylka Kospiri Vice Minister of Social Welfare and Youth.

According to the organizers, the primary beneficiaries will be 200 children with different abilities who live in the regions of Dibra and Elbasan, students from ten 9- year schools and high schools of these areas. Thanks to this project, teachers, parents, other students of these 10 schools, representatives of the education system, regional and local government and community members will have their awareness and their  knowledge enhanced on the ways  in which all children with different abilities have the rights to access education in the same way as their peers. 

Inclusive education ensures that no child is ever excluded or made to feel different from other children living in his or her village or community. During the next two years, the project will influence the life of 48,840 children who have some form of different ability in Albania, a considerable part of whom are estimated to be outside of the school and education system.

World Vision, MEDPAK and Partnerë për Fëmijët have worked for many years on inclusive education, to enable children with different abilities to attend school and receive quality education. “This project will support the implementation of laws on inclusive education and child protection, raising their voice in national level, based on good practices that will be achieved in Dibra and Elbasan” said Philip Harris, World Vision Operations Director.

The Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the European Union Delegation to Albania, Mr.  Clive Rumbold said that the rights of children with different abilities are a priority for the institution he represents and that this is the reason why different projects, in this area, are being financed on a wide scale by the European Union.

Vice Minister of Education, Nora Malaj and  Vice Minister of Social Welfare and Youth, Bardhylka Kospiri, greeted the project and emphasized that they will work to improve the laws and offer concrete services for  these children, because they are at the center of the strategies of the two ministries.