End-of-year holidays/ Pogradec Municipality and Evangelical Church distribute 1 thousand aid packages

2025-12-24 09:06:00, Aktualitet CNA

End-of-year holidays/ Pogradec Municipality and Evangelical Church distribute 1

On the eve of the Christmas and New Year holidays, humanitarian organizations and institutions have increased assistance to poor families and the elderly, categories that are increasingly facing economic difficulties. In Pogradec and beyond, assistance has been focused mainly on families with no income and lonely senior citizens.

Pastor Mentor Rama, representative of Christ for the Nations, says that this year has a special meaning for the organization, which has been close to those in need for 25 years.

According to him, data from recent years show a significant increase in poverty, especially among the elderly, who are facing increased needs. Rama says that through a very good cooperation with the Municipality of Pogradec, they have managed to identify and help thousands of families with social problems and the elderly.

"For us it is a special year because as CFN we have been doing this for 25 years in a row. We strive to be close to families and children in need. We have an excellent cooperation with the local government, the Pogradec municipality, and through this cooperation we have identified and helped thousands of families and the elderly.

In the prefecture of Pogradec alone, there are about 15 thousand people who are beneficiaries of aid, but together with other cities in Albania, there are about 24 thousand and 900 people, children or family members. During this holiday season, we distribute two types of packages, for children with sweets and school supplies and family packages with food for the December holidays.

"It pains me to say it and I am sorry to have to admit it, even as a citizen of this country, that poverty has recently increased, at least according to our records. If once the greatest needs were for children, today we are facing very acute needs among the elderly," said Pastor Mentor Rama.

Among the beneficiaries during this period is this divorced woman, mother of a 10-year-old daughter. They try to survive every day with very little income, while the daughter dreams of becoming a doctor.

"We live on economic assistance, with 58 thousand old lek, we have this for food, for lights, what to do with what the father gives for the daughter, we collect it to pay for water and lights. Very difficult, yes, I want to work but I am attached to the daughter because so far I have her in school with ten"

Humanitarian aid on Christmas Eve brings not only food and festive packages, but also joy to dozens of families who face poverty and economic insecurity every day, and it seems that humanitarian organizations and foreigners are doing what the state should do./ CNA