![Children of the Adventist kindergarten in Tirana, Albania. [© Photo: ADRA Albania]](https://cdn.adventistcontent.org/images/5df200974469ba078555eb4c/05e44fd555610266eef19dde1e91789868232ea4/1200x/TDH1644896743088.jpg)
The first Seventh-day Adventist kindergarten class in Albania opened in Tirana, the capital and largest city of Albania, in the year 2018, with seven children. Today, the class has 36 children, only two of which come from an Adventist home. The kindergarten is a pilot project launched by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Albania.
"Our bilingual kindergarten (Albanian/English) offers not only the national curriculum, but also includes personalized study plans and extracurricular activities, such as greenhouse gardening, cooking, crafts, music and art," said Director Elda Bashkimi.
"Our vision was to convert the old ADRA site in Tirana into an education center and to bring the Christian way of life closer to families [by using] innovative educational methods," says Altin Rexhepi, Director of ADRA Albania. According to Elda Bashkimi, those responsible for ADRA, “dreamed” of opening a primary school right next to the kindergarten. "We believe we can still grow and expand our impact."
ADRA was founded in 1956 and carries out development cooperation projects and humanitarian aid in disaster situations worldwide. ADRA is a non-governmental aid organization and is supported by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. ADRA International consists of a global network with 118 independent country offices and approximately 7,500 full-time employees. ADRA Albania has been in operation since 1993.
For more information in English, visit https://adraalbania.org/.
https://www.apd.info/2022/02/09/adra-albanien-mit-zweisprachigem-kindergarten-in-tirana/