The Albanian Alps Institute

2005 TRIP

I spent four weeks in June and July in Malesia e Madhe. During this time I visited all of the eight-year schools except Zagora, checking on libraries. In most cases things are working well, and I made some adjustments to smooth operations in one case.

I took 250 translated books with me from the US, about 45 books per school. Thanks so much to our Corvallis volunteers and to Stela Deci and Irena Hysa for tireless translating.

In a meeting with school directors, we decided to continue the line of credit at the bookstore in Shkodra. They all feel that this is a good program.

The vault toilet project in Vrithe is completed, providing a toilet for the 90 students there for the first time since Communism collapsed in 1991. Residual money from this project is being used to repair the electrical system at the school which has been down for many years. Gaspar Purash is even hopeful that he can fence the pigs out of the school yard.

School blackboards were upgraded with donated paint. I visited with some students in Aleks Vulaj�s English class. The English program is going well.

I checked on the new window in the Razma four year school The building is so much brighter with two windows, teacher Lula Lugaj is most appreciative. AAI donated $100 toward the costs of a toilet, to be constructed by Lula�s brother as a volunteer.

In Dedaj, a new kindergarten is taking shape, and I contributed $100 to help with that effort. With Qemal Makla, I visited the four-year school in Bzheta. It is basically a shell, with some broken desks. There is no toilet, electricity or water.

During my visit to Xhaj, the Shkreli 8-year school in the poorest condition, I pledged $400 to school director Vjolsa Prekducaj to repair some broken windows, and try to stop some of the roof leaks. Vjolsa�s eyes glowed as she spoke of the children checking books out from the AAI library�she said that the program is working very, very well.

In Rec, we reviewed again the science lab. It just sits there with no fixtures and no equipment. Hopefully we will find a donor soon so the 300 students there can utilize this resource.

We also visited remote Qafe Grad four year school, a new building with few supplies or equipment.

In Boga, the biggest news was the two Oregon State University students who accompanied me. They taught three conversational English classes a day, five days a week as well as some one-on-one private tutoring of advanced students. Bogans were most impressed with the good nature and professionalism of these two young women. Thanks to a generous donation of blackboard paint, we replaced the blackboards, as well as arranged to fix the toilets, broken windows, broken floor tiles, and other school repairs. I visited Tina Gegaj�s English classes, and found some very determined learners among the 40 students in these voluntary classes.