Albanian youth advocate through a camera lens for children to be cared for and educated for life

“A photo speaks to your heart and in my opinion it is the best way to advocate,” she continues.

Xhentila and her peers from Kurbin in northwest Albania participated in a 10-day course on how to raise public awareness and advocate through photography in the areas of Child Protection, Education, and Economic Development. The photo project was inspired by a similar project conducted in the Albanian capital Tirana last year, focusing on anti-trafficking.

Many of these children have to work to support their families, who live in povertyEach group of 10 peers located in different parts of Kurbin focused on one of these three important themes. Xhentila was part of the Child Protection sessions where she took photos to tell the story of children who need to be protected in her community.

“Through my photos I want to transmit the message that the children in my community need to be cared for,” she says. “Many of these children have to work to support their families, who live in poverty. They also don’t have safe and clean environments where they can play and just be children,” she continues.

“All of the three themes that we have explored to make a child’s life better are related,” said Rudina, 17. “Because of low economic status of their family, children have to work to support their families, while their basic rights of education and enjoying their childhood are violated. Not only that, but these children risk a lot while working, even their lives when they work in the street,” she continued.

“First we brainstormed on the problems that the children face in our society and then how to express them in our photos so that we can raise awareness and advocate for them in our community,” said Kristi, 17.

“Some of the problems that the youth in our communities face are that many children live in poverty, many of them suffer psychological and physical abuse, their rights to be educated and enjoy their childhood are denied as they have to work in the family and even if some of these children play, the environment around them is not safe and clean,” said Guenda, 16, from Milot.

...these children risk a lot while working, even their lives when they work in the streetAccording to UNICEF’s 2011 ‘State of the World’s Children’ report, 57% of all Albanian children aged two to 14 are subject to psychological and physical violence. These are not just statistics for the youth; These represent the faces of vulnerable children from their communities for whom they are advocating for change.

“I didn’t really know how much children around my community needed help. I didn’t realise how poverty can affect a child’s life before,” says Viktor, 17. “When I visited a Roma family to take photos, I saw how much poverty hurts and it can damage a child’s life. If through these photos I have the chance to show people what I saw, this would be a small help,” Viktor continues, very touched by his experience.

“What I hope to see changed through our photos is that people feel in their heart the pain of these children and try to help them and if they cannot help, at least not to make things worse for them,” said Viktor.

“The photo advocacy is in my heart now. I would love to continue this work with other peers and extend this project in my community with the help of PEs,” concludes Viktor.

I didn’t really know how much children around my community needed help. I didn’t realise how poverty can affect a child’s life before“The way that this project has changed me in indescribable,” said Sonila, 17, PE (Peer Educator) in Milot High School. “I am more sensitive to the children’s problems. I would like to make a change, but alone I can never do it. If we all try to change these children’s world, we could make their wishes a reality.”

“If all of us participants of this project talked to our parents and community about what we learned, we can bring some change and advocate in a small scale. We want to tell our peers during the school year about this,” continued Sonila, PE.

At the end of the workshops, the photos of the youth were shown in three exhibitions in Milot, Mamurras and Laç. Among the exhibition visitors were community members, teachers, and school staff.

“These photos show how we can help children and to be sensitive to their problems, said Jona, 12, participant at the exhibition.

“This exhibition shows the reality of our community and things that should be eliminated so that children can have a better future,” said Fatime Martinaj, 53, participant at the Economic Development Exhibition.

“Violence is the worst enemy for the education of the child,” expresses Eralda Metalia, one of the youth photographers, in one of her photos. “Violence in school keeps children away from school.”

“I appreciate the reality of this exhibition. The children in these photos deserve to realise their dreams,” said Liza Daçi, 47, teacher at Migjeni Middle School.

The story told in the photos of children in the communities of Kurbin and around Albania doesn’t end here. Through a camera lens, youth in Kurbin have captured its present. Each one of us can contribute to change its future.

“We want to show that if we can change things for better through our photos, then everyone can with us,” concluded Xhentila.

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