In Albania, Food and Medicine for the Poor

SUMMARY

Nehemiah Gateway has been providing food parcels, as well as medical and social help, to people in need in the Pogradec region of southeastern Albania since 1991. We help the poor, the marginalized, and the disabled move closer to a dignified and self-sufficient existence by first making it possible for them to meet their most basic needs.

CHALLENGE

In Albania, 34% of the population live in poverty (defined by World Bank as living on less than $5.50/day), and 5.8% live in absolute poverty (living on less than $1.90 per day). The rate is higher in rural areas, in groups like the Roma, for people with disabilities, and among the old. Poverty traps people in a battle for survival, limiting their ability to build a self-sufficient future. To achieve self-sufficiency, people first need their most basic needs for food, clothing, and health met.

SOLUTION

We provide food bundles to 370 households, several times a year. Recipients are identified by NG's social work teams. They evaluate circumstances of families that have requested aid and respond with assistance including food, medicine, counseling, physical therapy, vocational training, donated clothing and shoes, and help accessing medical care. Food packages allow families to use resources for other needs, help children not go to bed hungry, and show people in need that their neighbors care.

LONG-TERM IMPACT

Humanitarian aid is the first step toward restoring human dignity, meeting basic needs for food, clothing, and health. Personalized care provided by our social work team respects the dignity of each aid recipient and recognizes their humanity. Once survival needs are met, people can take further steps toward independence. They can learn skills that make employment possible. Children can go to school, greatly increasing their chances of self-sufficiency and a dignified future as adults.