Albania
The Little Angel Centre
In February 2018, Sal’s Shoes were finding their new feet at The Little Angel Centre in Tirana, Albania 🇦🇱
The Centre opened in 2009 and its main activities are the basic education of Roma street children aged between 6 – 14 years old who live with their families in Tirana.
The children come from an environment of extreme poverty where there is little food, poor, unacceptable shelter with no electricity or running water and tents which are very cold in the winter leading to many serious infections throughout the year. The children are expected to work and gain an income from the ages of three and four.
The only income is guaranteed from begging, recycling from the rubbish dumps and trafficking. The children are often the first to be abused for these tasks. Trafficked children are sold for begging and vulnerable young girls are trafficked into the sex tourism industry. This project offers teaching support, medical, psychological and social support both in the centre and in out-reach to the camps where the children live. There is also a feeding programme to ensure the children are nourished with two meals a day to keep them healthy and fit for school.
