Donations spark hope, bring warmth
Through a donation of six pallets of goods from the corporate partners of World Vision United States, more than 1380 children and their families of Hotolisht commune, part of Librazhd area development programme, in southeast Albania, benefited from the gift of clothes (hats, t-shirts, gloves, jumpers, socks, Jackets) of different sizes and colors during February. Parents and children showed enthusiasm and thankfulness as their needs were big.
As you approach Librazhd, the first thing your eyes notice is the rural setting and the hills around, where most people live. The weather is cold and harsh during the winter, the effects of the frigid temperatures are clearly reflected in the tough, engraved faces of the people; children and adults. But, it is not only a reflection of the burning sun during the summer and the cold temperatures during the winter, but also the effect of the hard work these people do in the field, to till the ground and take care of their homes and animals. For most, this is everything they have to survive.
Although the seasons change, their faces do not. They remain the same color, burned by the sun and hopeless. The day they received the donation, something changed in their eyes; there was a spark of hope that maybe something could get better. As the truck filled with mystery items pulled up, their curiosity was obvious.
The truck was filled with many boxes of clothes; in different colors and sizes. There was something suited for every one of them. The clothes were perfect for the cold weather in the villages of Librazhd.
We learned from people themselves that many left home at sunrise to be on time for the delivery. They were tired from hours of walking, but nothing else mattered to them once they received their gifts. Some of their hands begun to shake while signing to acknowledge receipt of the gifts. “We live in the hill, up there,” said one person pointing their finger to show the place where they come from.
Many people came in tattered and torn clothing. Some didn’t even wait a minute to put their gifts to work. They took their old clothes off and put the new clothes on right away. The enthusiasm was big at that moment and their faces suddenly changed. They started to smile.
In such cases, children are those who, more than anyone, can’t hide this joy. Many children in the village couldn’t sleep during a night before. “We heard that the coming morning we would receive boxes with new cloths,” said Klevi, 8, and Ervin,10 . The two brothers each received a hat and t-shirt from the donation. “I like the new hat I received as it protects me from the burning sun and it is orange, just as I like it,” says Klevi.
“The boy loves it so much and does not take it off even when it gets dirty,” his mother told us when we went back some time after the initial donation. “It is [such a] special gesture when someone donates for those who need help and everything we received was bread new stuff, no like the ones we usually, receive from our neighbors or, sometimes, when we have some little money left, we buy at the secondhand shops,” says Klevis’s mother, Fatbardha. “We buy only a few brand-new [items] for our children when they start the school year and this cost us lots of sacrifice. So, thank you for helping us this way,” adds Fatbardha.
Having three children to take care of, no money and no work for her or her husband, Saimir, pushed Fatbardha to the edge of desperation. She tried to take her own life one year ago. Fortunately, one of her neighbors quickly noticed and called for first aid. Thanks to this act, today the mother is alive enjoying her children even though their economic situation remains critical. But, Fatbardha remains hopeful that someday she will find a way to work and earn money. “I am ready to work, even as cleaning women, only to earn something for my children,” she says.
In addition to cloths for her children, Fatbardha’s family also received a warm waterproof jacket and trousers for the husband, a skirt and socks for her daughter, Fatime, 6, and some t- shirts for herself as well. “It has been a long time. I can’t even remember exactly when I bought a new shirt for myself,” she said, as looking at the new donated clothes.
“I do not remember the day when I bought something new for my children,” says Fide Zharri, a mother from Hotolisht Commune. Fide has three children. All family members received: t-shirts, jumpers, trousers, hats, socks, etc… from the U.S. donation. Her little ones, Armela,12, and Kristo,10, where so happy that day they received clothes, as this happen so rarely for them, their mother said: “My mother bought me a brand new skirt when I was 5. That was the first and the last time she did this,” Armela remembers with a sad look. “We don’t have money to buy cloths we want [in] the colors we want them to be, because they are expensive here and our opportunities are limited,” the girl says. “Now, we have very good clothes and this makes me very happy,” she concludes.
“All what we received is suitable for us: me and my children,” says another resident of Hotolisht commune, Gentian, 35. “I received trousers, jumpers and gloves for myself and other clothes for my children,” he adds. He was particularly excited about the one item. “The gloves I received were so warm and practical for me. I think this coming winter my hands will always be warmer because of these gloves,” he ends.
--The end --