Albanian Team Update 13th June 08

Hello from Albania! Sorry we haven't written every day, we've just been very busy & sleepy!

Over the past number of days numbers at the morning Daycare dropped to between 9 - 12 which, at first, was a real disappointment. The plus side of this is that we have been able to have give one-on-one attention to those who really need it and can benefit from it! The reason a lot of people haven't come back is because they were lead to believe, somehow, that Doctors would be present and would give out medication. So, some were disappointed when they found out this wasn't the case! Helena, Kathryn & Laura have all been VERY busy using their Uni training to talk one-to-one with parents giving them helpful suggestions of massage & other excerises to improve their children's quality of life.

Overall, we are really seeing a difference in the people coming along each day. Our youngest is a little girl named Santi, who is 5 and our oldest is Marika, who is 50! We have split everyone into groups based on their ages & overall ability. One guy in particular, Blerim, is really enjoying the camp & we are seeing just how capable he really is and trying to get his father to encourage him too! The young people & adults constantly have a smile on their faces, which is such a pleasure to watch!

The team have also visited one 18yr old boy with cerebral palsy at his home, as he is bed ridden and was unable to attend the camp. This young boy lives in awful conditions with very dangerous stairs leading up to his house, making mobility impossible.Laura, Helena & Mervyn met with Daniel & his family and again gave them practical tips to benefit & improve his quality of life. They are going back to this family again later in the week so please pray for this.

This evening some of the team are going to meet a lady called Marika (50) who has also been house bound since she was 3. She does get around in a wheelchair sometimes, but it is an awful wheelchair with NO support at all for her head, legs or body. The team are going to her house to teach her family about proper positioning and overall health care for this lady, so again pray that they would take on board what they are being shown.

Thursday afternoon the team were able to get away for a few hours to a town called Kruja, about an hour away from Lushnje, up on the mountains. it was soooooooo beautiful and just a wonderful chance to get a change of scenary and relax for a while.

Tomorrow (SAT) we are hoping to take a group of the young people and their carers to Appolloni, an ancient Greek ruin, so we are looking forward to spending some extra time with them away from the Daycare setting.

Please pray for....
...visiting various families in their homes, that they would understand & use some of the tips being given
...numbers would remain steady at the Daycare
...parents wouldn't be disappointed that no doctors are here
...The meeting between Mervyn & Berti regarding future vision
...team health & energy!