For the first time in our 30-year presence in Albania, we attempted to document on celluloid some of the key moments and challenges that have influenced our mission in building a comprehensive system of child protection. The entire journey has been seen from the perspective of former members of the Tdh Albania team throughout the years. For Mr. Robert Stradobërda, who is currently a lecturer at "Fan S. Noli" University and was once the coordinator of the first office of Terre des hommes Albania, which was opened in 1993, returning to his former work environment in Korça was an emotional moment.
“Nostalgia, true nostalgia. I was reminded once again of the road I used to take almost twice daily 30 years ago. I was reminded of the great work we did in those years, those difficult years. I was a French language teacher and Tdh had just called for co-workers and translators, and I said to myself, I'm going to give it a try.”
The journey stops further in the memories of former heads of Albanian delegation over the years, such as Mrs. Sendrine Constant, Mr. Thierry Agagliate, Mrs. Jezerca Tigani, and Mrs. Alketa Lasku. The good works done to change the lives of children and communities are unanimously attributed to the TEAM.
“All the achievements of the Tdh in Albania during these years are not the director's merit, they are the team's merit.” - says the former head of delegation in Albania, Mrs.Jezerca Tigani.
“The main asset of this organization lies in the people who work for the organization.” -emphasizes the former head of delegation, Mrs. Alketa Lasku.
In the fourth decade, Mrs. Enkelejda Kallçiu, the head of the National Office of Tdh Albania, emphasized that the focus of their work should not only be on responding to the issues that impact the vulnerable target groups Tdh works with, but also on prevention.
"I think Albania has left behind the time to just only respond; it must definitely have a strong quality and strong professionalism in how we respond to people who have been harmed in the areas in which we operate. But, in the meantime, prevention in our country has not had the same attention and I think that for us as an organization, it is certainly a good practice of intervention, but I believe that it will need a strong focus to see what the models and the institutional interactions will be, and how to operate to ensure prevention in all areas."
