Recovery

Our social workers have been supporting low income families and people with disabilities to obtain State economic aid, providing welfare rights advice, counselling and practical help in weekly ‘drop-in’ clinics. Our aim has been to empower as many people as possible out of poverty and into employment or training. Over the past twelve months we have agreed a formal partnership with the Tirana municipality and work closely with social services and the employment office.

We have put together packages of care that have enabled more marginalised people to connect with employment and training, and we have helped more people move out of black market activities such as begging, into legal jobs. Working holistically with families, we provide the support needed for people, often to people who have never had legal employment’ to enable their transition to paid work. This includes helping them to get to work on the first day, supporting them with clothes and materials, and other hands-on support to help them get started.

We have been supporting vulnerable women and girls at risk of exploitation, working alongside State services to reduce the factors leading to trafficking and forced marriages. Our social workers have been providing support to enable women find routes into education, legal employment, and where necessary, access to alternative places to live.

This year we’ve continued to support families in immediate and high level of crisis such as people living on the street or in situations of abuse. Many of those housed are living in insanitary conditions without access to running water or electricity, living hand-to-mouth and surviving by collecting materials from the bins or the river to trade for cash. We have supported families through a combination of small grants, loans and purchasing of materials to repair, insulate or secure their homes. In the winter, we extended our heater loans to keep people who are struggling to keep warm

In 2021 we also implemented a coupon system in partnership with a local supermarket, we continue to support low income families experiencing food poverty. Instead of giving food out, we gave a coupon that can be redeem to the value of a weekly family shop. Many of the participants on this project, receive coupons for two months whilst they commit to a project helping to find employment.

Refugees

Another door that has opened for Tek Ura in 2021 has been our engagement with new immigrants to the community, and in particular a new agreement with the Ministry of the Interior and the National Refugee Centre, situated just a stone's throw from our centre in Tirana.

A specific donation for refugee work enabled us to respond to requests for the provision of Albanian language support for immigrant families wanting to integrate into Albanian life. So, from November 2021 our focus has been on providing an intensive Albanian language course for 5 families. This is particularly important as we seek to help children adjust to the Albanian schooling system, and prepare the adults for suitable employment and training opportunities.

1n 2022, our hope is to extend the project to 20 adults and 12 children and support more immigrants seeking to make Albania their home

Crisis Support 

This element of Qendra Tek Ura ministry is relatively broad in its scope of service, ranging from supporting families with heaters and lamps during the winter season too providing financial support (% of the costs) for medicines and school books.

Beneficiaries of this programme are typically well known to the Tek Ura.

The programme generally provides relief support, however empowering and building capacity remain significant components.

If you are interested in any of these services or want to know more about what we do to promote recovery, you can email recovery@tekura.org or call 069 707 4001