Finding the strength to keep going
From a young age, Zef decided to emigrate to Greece in pursuit of a better life. After working there for 12 years, he permanently moved back to Albania a few years ago.
From Mirdita, where he lived with his family, the young and energetic man moved to Thumana, where he invested all of the money he made in emigration. When it appeared that he was stable and things were going well, out of nowhere, the dwelling in which he had invested all of his hard-earned money was destroyed in just one day. Fortunately, no family member got injured.
“I returned to Albania intending to never leave again. I invested everything I had in Thumana. However, suddenly everything was gone in a blink due to the November 26, 2019 earthquake” - the 34-year-old man says.
Since then, Zef lives in a container with his family, composed of his wife, 3 children, and 2 parents. The old house, despite being a new construction, was declared uninhabitable by the authorities due to the numerous damages it suffered from the earthquake. Zef and his family were given a new dwelling near the old one by the state, but they have yet to move in.
This occurrence was hard and discouraging, but the 34-year-old man never stopped his efforts. He found the strength to keep going, despite the numerous difficulties he had to face.
“I have established a small farm with 22 cows and calves, and 7 goats and kids. We sustain ourselves from farm work. We have no other income. I will do anything to ensure that my children attend school and have a better life.” - the farmer from Thumana says.
Noting the need for help and the potential to obtain financial independence, the 34-year-old’s family is being supported in the framework of the “Improving the Family Capabilities to Respond to Emergency Situations” project.
“It has been a considerable help. The project provided me with two milking machines, a mill, and an irrigation pump. While before I had to spend 1-hour milking cows, now I only spend 20 minutes thanks to the machines. The water pump helps irrigate the crops, while the mill is used to grind corn. With a little help, we can recover.” - the 34-year-old man states.
While milking the cows with the new machines, Zef is accompanied by his eldest daughter, Klea. The 9-year-old girl says that she loves reading and wishes to become a nurse.
The project funded by UNDP Albania and implemented by World Vision Albania in Kruja Municipality is providing assistance to 115 households affected by the pandemic and the earthquake.
The beneficiaries are receiving food and sanitary packages, farming inputs, as well as trainings and psychological counseling on how to better respond to future emergency situations.
This intervention has been undertaken in the framework of “Earthquake Social Protection and Response” (ESPR), a project executed by UNDP Albania and funded by the Government of the United Kingdom, the Government of Finland, and the Government of Norway. The project supports the Albanian Government and three municipalities affected by the earthquake with the process of designing and translating policies aiming to initiate the adequate local actions to ensure that men, women, girls, and boys living in poverty or in vulnerable situations, combined with post-earthquake conditions, will have access to quality and integrated social services.