Monday 5 January 2015



The end of the project year 2014 in Fushe Kruja was celebrated by ADRA Albania in many ways. In order to prepare the distribution of parcels from Austria and Germany, the staff taught the kids and women of the community about the idea of giving at Christmas and about the legend of Santa Claus. The teachers were talking about their positive experiences with the spirit of Christmas and the kids told their wishes. All together they decorated a Christmas tree with balls, pictures colored by the children and self-made stars.
On the following day, ADRA and the approximately 30 children of the community in different age came together for celebrating a Christmas party in the centre. ADRA staff Rezarta Prence and Kristi Qendro asked the children about their year in school and 17 children proclaimed that they are going to school regularly. Rezarta and Kristi underlined the importance of that and motivated all the others to go to school by presenting a puppet theater. In this theater the kids could come in front to present what they have learned.
One of the children started to count the numbers from one and all the others joined - the whole room was unstoppable until they reached the number of 100!
They also sang all the songs they learned at ADRA, like “Ne femijet kemi te drejta tona”, “Jingle bells” or “Ja na erdhi viti I ri”.
The musical part didn’t stop, even after all the songs were sung. There was Albanian and English Christmas music and all the kids, ADRA staff and volunteers were dancing together. Even members of the Egyptian community were taking part.
The dancing went on until it was time to eat and all the kids were totally excited about the lemonade and cookies they got. 
On the 18th of December the Roma children were very happy: It was the day of the “Children helping children” parcels. With help of members of the activist group, the truck with the parcels entered in the community. Step by step it passed each house and the children were following by, impatient when it will reach their home.
Every child got one packet with tooth brushes, pens and pencils, folders, toys, sweets and more. One boy who found a flute in his parcel, immediately started to play.
The parents sometimes were as excited and happy as their children and many of them thanked ADRA. 
Despite the parcel’s distribution and children’s party, ADRA Albania had organized 2 other activities with the Roma women and boys to celebrate on this New Year eve. They were gathered in two different days because is impossible to bring the women and boys together on such occasions. On 22th of December the celebration started with Roma women and girls. They danced in the sound of Albanian and Roma music, and then on 23th of December the Roma boys were welcomed to party. Differently from the women, the Roma boys stared a discussion within themselves about New Year celebration. The custom in their community is to stay with their family until 12:00 o’clock and afterward to go outside with their friends. For the majority of the boys this represents a normal habit whereas for Marseli and Ibrahim (2 Roma boys) it is not good to celebrate on this special night apart from their families. In the end the boys wished for everybody present in the activity a better and happy New Year. 
Celebration with the Roma women
Celebration with the Roma boys













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