National Association of Orphans of Albania was created by a group of adult intellectual initiators themselves orphans instate institutions, which was approved by the Ministry of Education with the Decision no. 17, dated 25-11-1991, and sincethen it continues its activities for this target group.
All persons who work to help orphans from the center at the base are volunteers and work for free.
Credentials
After several years, the National Association of Orphans of Albania is a legal entity with decision no. 35 dated 24-02-1995 in Tirana District Court. National Association of Orphans of Albania won by the Albanian Parliament with the law Nr.8153, dated 30-11-1996 “Status of Orphans”.
National Association of Orphans of Albania is decorated by the President of the Republic of Albania, with the “Medal of Gratitude”. National Association of Orphans of Albania was honored by the Ministry of Labor and Equal opportunities first prize on the occasion of the 20th National Day May “Help the orphans”
National Association of Orphans of Albania is present in three main government bodies, as a member with full rights in
the Albanian Adoption Committee at the Ministry of Justice.
ANOA is focused and dedicated in improving policies, institutional development and service provision .
The final aim is the orphaned children and young people full integration in life, starting with equal opportunities and full access in quality education and training, social and cultural life, and support to housing and integration in the labor market.
Its national status and participation in all level legislative and executive consultation bodies in the central and local level government make for am important and powerful advocacy and lobbying instrument to advance the issues related to our aims and objectives.
Our target groups are divided in these categories “
Children without parental care living in state institutions.
Children without parental care living with their immediate families.
Children and parents with one single parent families .
Widowed women with economic, social and integration difficulties.
Our activities are divided as follows:
Advocacy and lobbying activities for orphan children. (These are activities related especially to the “Law on Orphans”amendments to expand the number of children and young people through the change of orphans status, to include those with only one parent missing. ) Moreover participation in many levels of governmental commissions involves work to protect housing, schooling and other services rights.
Support to provide free school materials, stationary and books to ensure equal opportunities for orphans.
Support with immediate food and clothes aids for families of orphaned kids on regular basis.
An ongoing work with a national database with the needs coming from this groups.
Implement projects to diversify the services provided to orphaned children and young people by involving provision of training in initial skills for Information Technology and Communication and support to integrate in the labor market through internship schemes in private companies.
Efforts to be an official actor to supervise work and prevent violence in the state shelters where children without parental
care are hosted.
Solidarity is at the core of our organisation. ANOA strives for over 20 years to have an impact in enhancing life quality for children and young people who are living without the presence of one parent or both.
The emotional effect and void deriving from the loss of the mos important social pillars in one;s life is often accompanied by other deficiencies.
Economic discomfort and integration obstacles often lead to a perpetual reproduction of similar conditions throughout the
life of one person. Very often we see children and their single mothers who have been widowed , thrown away from their
husbands families and left without a house , with the excuse that they have no rights on their properties.
In other cases life ‘ without a parent is very heave on the remaining parent, be it logistically as well as economically. The remaining
parent has to drop work and attend to the needs of the children. Emotional closure puts a pressure on the children by causing multiple side effects to the life of the children, very often their performance in school is jeopardized.
Considering all the above mentioned issues and many others ANOA intervenes in multiple levels through multiple
activities.
Regular fund raising activities with the aim of aiding the orphaned children with basic food and clothes supplies is an
activity that is continuously performed throughout the year, amounting to 5000 packages per year.
Support for school supplies and books for those children covers almost every child in need.
Coordinate support and donors in the field to have a just and comprehensive outreach of the support to our target group.
Support in the difficult processes of obtaining social security aid by the state through preparing the necessary documentation to be presented to the respective offices .
Support in the process of application and documentation for the rent bonus and soft home loan for the families that need
housing.
Intervene in the local board where ANOA is a member with full rights in the housing commission by the local government
of Tirana and as such has inter mediated and pushed to accommodate for the target group it represents.
Capacity building activities involve training for young people coming from disadvantaged situation, with initial or entry skills in ITand digital marketing and mediation for job placement through internship schemes and other mechanisms that support the group. Career guidance activities have been part of capacity building activities, aiming to become an integral
part of daily activities for ANOA.
Support for students enrolled involved in higher education, to profit from scholarship quotas dedicated to the
disadvantageous groups
ANOA is an organisation with national scope and coverings. It has 34 branches spread all over Albania and aims at increasing its presence in the country.
There are 5000 registered members in the organisation receiving support from the
target group. While ANOA’s work tends to be comprehensive in terms of issues addressed towards the targeted group, it plays an important part on a representation level.
ANOA is part of 2 parliamentary omissions where the main issue addressed is amendments to the “Law on Orphans” , aiming at widening the term for orphans by providing services to a larger number of orphaned children. Moreover it is an official member in the National Adoption Committee , by supportingthe rights of adopted children.
ANOA has a good outreach of target group needs in the cities where the local branches are established , by reaching its most efficient work in the capital of Tirana, where 2500 members are registered.
Ongoing support for a variety of services are provided on daily basis to the community of orphans, their remaining families and other supporting social structures. There is an organic link to the local services provided to the target group.
ANOA is an official member in the commission attached to the local government in Tirana, Durres and Elbasan, where local services are addressed and approved for different disadvantaged groups.
Albanian National Orphans Association advertises these services to the target group, offers consultation for the application process and lobbies on behalf of these groups to benefit the maximum of the services.
Other activities with the local community involves:
Awareness raising activities, in schools to support the target group
Collecting humanitarian aid support for the most disadvantaged individuals and distributing them together with other individuals coming from the same target group.
Needs analysis data gathered on a regular base to design the national orphans register is an activity which support
ongoing relations and communication with the target group. Needs accumulated make for recommendations to be
addressed to the specific responsible body, be it governmental or other service providers from the CSOs to other informal providers.
Providing free online and in house training for children and young people coming from the target group has been a
novelty to establish trust and useful relation among the target group and ANOA.