Albania Our History
Save the Children has been working to improve the lives of children and families in 12 districts of Albania, both urban and rural areas, since 1999. We focus on reaching the most deprived and marginalized children, who are too often excluded due to poverty, disability, where they live, their gender or ethnicity. Our program and advocacy approaches empower and support children to meaningfully increase their participation in school and community life and influence decisions that affect their rights and their lives.
Save the Children programs cover Basic Education and Early Childhood Care and Development, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Health and Nutrition and Humanitarian, implemented in 12 districts of Albania, both urban and rural areas. Save the Children has a Country Program Strategy covering the period 2022-2024. Our overall strategic goal is to ensure that all children survive, learn and can be protected. We will focus on reaching the most deprived and marginalized children, who are too often excluded due to poverty, geography, gender, ethnicity or disability. Significant results for children have been achieved in our priority thematic areas and we are working to achieve lasting changes for children of Albania in the longer term.
We have earned a reputation for delivering quality program for children and establishing strong and influential relationships with key government ministries and with civil society networks (international and local NGOs and agencies). In recent years, the Albanian government has developed many new laws and policies that support children’s education and protection and Save the Children is well placed to provide the technical assistance, practical tools and field experience to support the government in implementing these laws to achieve results at scale. Save the Children is committed to supporting Albania's path towards European integration and ensuring that all children and adolescents in Albania enjoy their rights to survival, education, protection and child participation.
On January 2022, Save the Children in Albania has started operating with a new Board of Directors, majority with Albanian nationality and well-known in their field of expertise. This change was made to grow Save the Children impact and contribution in Albania nationally in partnership with the government, donors, civil society and most importantly the children and families we support.
Save the Children in Albania will continue to focus on reaching the children most in need, to advocate at the national level for policy improvements and better financial allocations for children, and work to ensure that quality services for children and their families are provided at the local level.
For the next three years, 2022-2024 our strategic vision in Albania is to continue be a partner of choice for government when it comes to child rights implementation and protection, and we will work to achieve further lasting changes for the children of Albania in the areas of:
- Access to inclusive early childhood development and care for children aged 0–6 years old, regardless of their status or residence;
- Support to families to take care of their children rather than place them in institutional care;
- Economic opportunities and extension of social inclusion services to citizens in hard to reach areas;
- Employment opportunities and investment in young people with disabilities; and
- Income generating activities and financial literacy for young people so they can successfully transition into adulthood and build their own futures.
- Support children and adolescents 6 – 19, and their families to embrace healthy life habits promoted and supported by capacitated professionals
