OUR WORK

Save the Children in Albania has been working to make life better for children and families in 12 districts, since 1999. We focus on helping the most disadvantaged children who are often left out because of factors like poverty, disability, where they live, their gender, or ethnicity. Our programs aim to empower children to participate more in school and community life and have a say in decisions that affect their rights and lives. We cover various areas like Basic Education & Early Childhood Care and Development, Child Protection, Child Poverty and Youth Livelihoods, Health and Nutrition, and Emergency assistance in both urban and rural areas.

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. 

Our Strategic Goal for 2025-2027 is to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected, with a specific focus on those facing poverty, geography, gender, ethnicity, or disability challenges. We work towards achieving lasting positive changes for children in Albania. Save the Children is known for delivering quality programs for children and building strong relationships with government ministries and civil society networks. We collaborate with the Albanian government, providing technical assistance and practical tools to support the implementation of laws and policies that benefit children.

In 2022, Save the Children in Albania formed a new Board of Directors, mainly with Albanian nationality, to enhance our impact nationally. Our focus remains on reaching children in need, advocating for policy improvements and better financial allocations for children, and ensuring quality services for children and families at the local level.

Our Strategic Vision for 2025-2027 includes:

• Ensuring inclusive early childhood development and care for children aged 0–6.

• Supporting families to care for their children at home instead of in institutions.

• Providing economic opportunities and social inclusion services in hard-to-reach areas.

• Creating employment opportunities and investing in young people with disabilities.

• Offering income-generating activities and financial literacy for young people to transition successfully into adulthood.

We are committed to being a partner of choice in implementing the protection of child rights, striving for lasting improvements in the lives of children and adolescents in Albania. 

We have earned a reputation for delivering quality programs 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 in Albania 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.

PROTECTING CHILDREN

Over the years, Save the Children in Albania has made strong contributions to ensuring that children, youth and their caregivers receive effective Child Protection services. Our interventions have established protective networks and created spaces for the most deprived children and youth, focusing on Roma children, street children and children without parental care, to reduce the risks of exploitation and abuse and strengthen children’s resilience. 

By improving child protection systems, we’re giving children, youth, and communities the tools they need to address issues like violence and child sexual abuse, while offering services that are inclusive and gender sensitive. Special focus is given to three municipalities, where local social plans are being strengthened, and parents are being educated on positive parenting. 

By involving schools and community centers, we’re promoting the social inclusion of children and families facing multiple challenges and making sure they offer the best possible support for children’s educational and social needs. 

Through our psycho-social services, we’re helping children in Residential Care Institutions, Community Centers, and kindergartens/preschools to explore their emotions, express themselves, build confidence, and tackle social-emotional challenges through art and education. Working closely with the local child protection structures along with national child protection networks, we're making sure children are safer, and responses to violence and abuse are more effective. 

ENRICHING EDUCATION

In partnership with the Ministry of Education, local authorities, and communities, our Education and Early Childhood Care and Development program aim to improve access to quality education for marginalized children in Albania, including Roma children, those with disabilities, and those from rural and deprived areas. We support inclusive learning from early childhood through adolescence by helping parents and local groups create action plans to ease transitions from preschool to primary school. 

Our initiatives also provide training for teachers and parents on engaging methods to enhance early learning and reading skills while promoting safety and well-being in schools. 

By collaborating with universities to improve curricula and advocating for the voices of children and communities, we ensure that every child has an equal start in life. We empower children and teachers to act on environmental issues, including measuring air pollution and leading eco-clubs, raising awareness about climate change and its impacts.

UPHOLDING CHILD RIGHTS

Our work in Child Rights Governance empowers children to actively engage in local decision-making processes, ensuring their voices are integral to matters that affect their lives. 

By strengthening child-led groups and partnering with municipal structures, we support children especially the most vulnerable to become advocates for their rights and catalysts for change in their communities. 

In collaboration with the State Agency for Protection of Children’s Rights, we have established clear standards for child participation, ensuring children are included in decision-making at all levels. We also hold the government accountable by monitoring resource allocation for children's rights and ensuring the effective implementation of the General Criteria for Child Participation. 

In Elbasan, Shkoder, and Saranda, we are empowering children and youth with the skills to claim their rights and influence decisions that shape their futures. This year, child-led groups like “Voice 16+,” along with Children’s Governance representatives and Eco Club members, participated in consultations with partners, networks, and the Albania Commission of Human Rights and submitted their statement at UN in Geneva, advocating for children's right to a safe, balanced, and healthy environment, as well as addressing other key issues impacting their rights.

IMPROVING HEALTH AND NUTRITION

In OOOoo  Our program intervention focuses on reducing risk factors for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and improving health emergency responses among schoolchildren in Albania. We promote healthy behaviors among primary schoolchildren (ages 6-16) by encouraging good nutrition, physical activity, and the avoidance of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. The program equips children with essential skills and knowledge to prevent NCD risk factors and effectively manage health emergencies, including COVID-19. Additionally, we engage teachers, school directors, and health professionals to foster healthy behaviors, hygiene practices, and safe environments within schools, creating supportive frameworks for children's well-being. We also advocate for central and local governments to enhance public health through evidence-based, inter-sectoral approaches and updated standards and guidelines, ensuring a comprehensive approach to health promotion in schools.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Ministry of Education and local structures, our program focus on supporting all primary school children in Albania and their families and communities, to engage in healthy lifestyle practices including eating a healthy, nutritional diet, doing physical activity and not smoking, drinking alcohol or taking harmful drugs.

REDUCING CHILD AND YOUTH POVERTY

The Child and Youth Poverty Program seeks to empower adolescents and youth in Albania impacted by poverty and discrimination by improving their overall well-being and fostering self-confidence. 

By providing support to families and communities, the program works to ensure equal rights, protection, education, and opportunities for all girls and boys. To create safer, violence-free environments, it offers life skills training, safe migration sessions, and livelihood programs that help youth and their families make informed decisions about their futures. 

Special emphasis is placed on training and empowering vulnerable groups, in life skills and livelihood issues, connecting them to professional vocational courses, and assisting them in job placements or developing their business plans to launch their own business. By enhancing young people's knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship, we aim to increase their chances of finding sustainable employment, achieving financial independence, and thriving in the future. 

These initiatives also promote participation in education and vocational training, reduce the need for migration, and contribute to sustainable development within their communities.

RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES

Our Humanitarian work is dedicated to reducing the impact of disasters on children and their communities by fostering collaboration between children, community members, and responsible structures at all levels. 

In 2017, during severe flooding, we provided essential food packages and hygiene kits to the hardest-hit families across seven districts in Albania. Following the devastating earthquake of 2019, we quickly responded by delivering critical supplies such as blankets, tents, and educational materials, while also setting up Child Friendly Spaces that promoted psychosocial well-being and resilience for affected children. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we expanded our support to include food packages, hygiene kits, digital tools for education, and psychosocial services for children and families in 11 districts. We also helped the Ministry of Education in adapting educational content for young students and empowered youth networks to launch the #ProductiveAtHome campaign. 

Our comprehensive services in Shengjin for Afghan children displaced in Albania focus on mental health and psychosocial support, educational programs, stress management, and counselling. Our efforts help children learn, play, and thrive, while also supporting parents, caregivers, and local communities with emotional and psychological resources.