FUSHE-KRUJE SCHOOL

FUSHE-KRUJE SCHOOL PROJECT

November is starting off as a busy month and it will continue that way for the net few weeks. Tuesday Nov. 2 we traveled to Fushe-Kruje a city about 45 minutes from Tirana. We made a presentation to a Roma school there. The people in the Roma community are the bottom rung of society in Albania. There was a small school for Roma children which the government decided to shut down in Sept just as the school year was due to begin. The Roma community petitioned the government to reopen the school, which they agreed to do, but were not going to supply them with the needed text books. After we became involved and developed a project to buy the test books and school supplies for them the mayor of the city agreed to open another building for the school. They now have more rooms and less crowded classrooms. In the previous school they had to go in shifts because of lack of space and sometimes sit two children in a chair. Tuesday morning we went to the school to make our presentation. The school had been freshly painted and all the children were there to greet us. After a few short speeches we went to each classroom and gave each student a school kit that we had put together. It was fun to see their excitement.

The area presidency feels it is important to establish an employment resource center in Albania. We have been asked to take on this assignment. This week we are receiving training for career workshops and self-employment workshops. Elder and Sister Hancock who are currently serving in Dublin, Ireland, have come to give us the training. They are from southern Alberta so it has been interesting to see how many people we both know. After our training we will give these workshops to the members here in Albania. Unemployment for young adults is a problem here so we hope these workshops will be helpful to the participants. We will still do humanitarian work. This is just a additional assignment for us. So busy days lie ahead.