Children send balloons to ‘God’s house’ & learn about their rights

ALBANIA- In Elbasan, school children like Lois and Olivja are learning about their rights to education and protection because too many of their peers are missing out on school because of family poverty and lack of awareness about the importance of education. During a children’s event, when students released balloons into the air with messages about their wishes, one student named Striven Braho said, “I thought when we set them free they would go up to God’s house; maybe He will read all our desires and make them come true”.

Happiness is a word with many meanings …to live in it is like trying to find an invisible street, when you have to go slowly and carefully feel your way the whole time. Finding this street is hard for many children, yet despite the difficulties their families face, children are often the best, most determined explorers of small and simple things. And, they seldom give up. They try hard to find harmony each day of their life and taste every moment as a magic one.  You can see it in their faces; a yearning desire to learn and be smarter children every single day.  Visit the “Dylber Kurtina” primary school in Shirgjan village in Elbasan and you’ll see these little explorers in action any day of the week.   

Take a quick look and you’ll see a hundred of them. Some are blondes; some have brown hair and some short, some from the poorer households wear old clothes and some look just fine but all of them have something in common- on this particular day- Universal Children’s Day- they’re reveling in the opportunity to come together to learn about their rights.

“We have a lot of rights, some of them we don’t know and some are not easy to come true, because our parents cannot give us everything we need"

“Our rights are true and all of them are written in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and everybody should know and respect them seriously,” says little Lois, aged six, from Shirgjan Village.

“Children are like sunny lights, and they are all special,” said Lois’s classmate, Olivja, a smart and sweet girl from Shirgjan. “They are the joy of their parents and they should treat them in a lovely way and raise them up like the sun grows the trees with warmth,” adds Olivja, who is only nine years old.

While each child wants to learn and live a happy life, not all of them can realise this seemingly simple desire.  Among the scores of children in Shirgjan village, several are from extremely vulnerable and disadvantaged families and some, like Servet, do not have the basics like school books or warm clothing because their parents cannot afford them.  

Servet’s living conditions are very poor and in his house there is never enough to eat. Servet has six brothers and sisters older and younger than him. His mother does not have a job and his father has emigrated to secure work. Unfortunately, he still can’t earn enough to meet all his family’s needs.

“We have a lot of rights, some of them we don’t know and some are not easy to come true, because our parents cannot give us everything we need. They just cannot,” says Adelina Yzeiri, a ten-year-old girl with conviction.

In Albania, many children do not go to school because they are required to work to support their families. Books, clothing and other necessities also put schooling out of reach for some.

World Vision in Albania is working with communities, families and individuals to address the many aspects of poverty here, as well as highlight the basic rights of children.

“Activities like this one, especially for little children, are much needed because they can learn at an early age about their rights"

Last year, World Vision’s Elbasan Area Development Programme (ADP) together with local government and other partners in this area established three Child Protection Units in the villages of Elbasan.

The CPUs provide protection services to children through managing individual care and protection plans. Staff also mobilise various stakeholders to ensure both preventative and protective services are delivered through a variety of means on an ongoing basis.

During 'Universal Children's Day' World Vision organised activities across several areas in which it works, including Shkodra, Korça, Dibra, Lezha, Vlora and Kurbin.

“Activities like this one, especially for little children, are much needed because they can learn at an early age about their rights. They will grow up with the true idea that they are important and independent beings,” said Mrs. Mynever Cekrezi, a teacher from “Dylber Kurtina” school.

Children also flourish as they experience special events designed just for them. “The most magic part of the celebration was the moment when we all released into the sky the big balloons on which we had written our desires,” said Stiven Braho, Servet’s friend. 

“I thought when we set them free they would go up to God’s house; maybe He will read all our desires and make them true,” expressed little Stiven with childlike innocence.