Underprivileged first through third graders in Albania are learning the official Albanian language and polishing up their reading and writing skills at an educational center geared specifically toward the nomadic Roma (gypsy) tribe.

The center, established by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), aims to help Roma children from the nearby squatter community successfully transition into the public school system.

“This was a major achievement for ADRA, since this is the first school in Albania that is designed specifically for Roma,” said Lamar Phillips, country director for ADRA Albania.

The ongoing social exclusion of Roma communities across Albania is creating significant gaps and deficiencies in education for thousands of children, a problem worsened by extreme poverty and few development opportunities, ADRA officials said.

The center also provides two meals a week for each child enrolled in the program. ADRA workers said the meals have positively impacted school attendance as well as adding nutritious food to the children’s diets.

Financial backing from ADRA Italy has allowed the purchase of new school desks, benches, and basic educational supplies.

The center was built near Tirana, Albania’s capitol in 2004. The children who attend classes at the center come from the nearby Roma squatter community in Fushë Kruja.

Projects like this are essential to the future development of Roma as very few Roma children attend school and consequently, few can read or write in Albanian, Phillips said. Those who stay in school often face isolation from social and academic activities, stemming from both teachers and students, Phillips added. 

The education department of Kruja has been partnering with ADRA since 2006 to provide funding for the Roma center and make it an extension of the local school system.

Additional funding is provided by the Albanian Department of Education, the Italian Union of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and individual donors.

For more information about ADRA, visit adra.org.