Integration is a key issue for the children participating in the Amaro Tan project. They come from marginalised groups that face severe discrimination, and they often have to fight for their place in society. We support them in doing so. Older pupils at Amaro Tan now attend a public school in the mornings.
Since the border opened 35 years ago, Albania has developed significantly, particularly in terms of education and integration. The time has come to gradually prepare our students for life outside the sheltered environment of the Amaro Tan school.
From Year 7 onwards, Amaro Tan students attend public schools in Pogradec, and six of them have scholarships for our Nehemia School in Buçimas. However, Amaro Tan remains ‚their place‘. In the afternoons, they receive homework assistance, individual mentoring, further education and leisure activities, as well as lunch and support for their families. We take care to communicate well with the new schools andnew teachers, especially in the beginning.
The exchange has a positive effect on both the students and the teachers at public schools. It creates a practical understanding of the much-discussed “PPP” projects, i.e., public-private partnerships.
Nothing changes for the “little ones” in kindergarten and elementary school; they go to school at Amaro Tan in a protected environment and learn many things that their parents cannot teach them at home. Like any change, this step initially brings with it a certain degree of uncertainty—both for the students and the teaching staff. Many thanks to everyone who, through prayer, encouragement, and donations, is helping to make this a true success story of integration.