Albania

Many surveys and studies have shown the transformative impact that education is having on Roma children’s lives and their families. Recent data from civil society organisations and authorities is telling us that an ever-larger number of Roma children is attending kindergartens and basic education in Albania, despite discrimination that some of the…

This assessment is part of the “Every Roma child in kindergarten project”, supported technically and financially by UNICEF. This is final assessment report that the initiative is preparing on the access of Roma children in early childhood public services and the issues they have face when they become in contact with them. The preparation of this…

Albanian children face multiple nutrition problems including high rates of stunting and overweight, disparities in health and nutrition status and micronutrient deficiencies (IDD and IDA). This research identify gaps of community based partners and Community Service Organization working in the target areas to design, implement and monitor…

Food and nutrition security depends on many factors to at the individual, community and national level. This research sets out to examine the effects of two specific factors on the abilities of families to achieve food security: high or changing food prices and gender role, responsibilities and equal access to services and benefits. It this sense…

The NAPFN is based on and intends to implement different international agreements. The plan vision is to provide food security and a balanced diet to every individual, with special focus on vulnerable groups, ensuring access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. In this context the plan will implement measures and activities in national and…

December 14, 2018 - Ministry of Health and Social Protection in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), launches “Child marriage- Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions among affected communities in Albania”. This is a qualitative report and is developed in cooperation with the…

Tirana 12 October 2018 - While Albania has made remarkable progress in education and since more children are in schools and learning than ever before, still more needs to be done to ensure that all children, especially those from vulnerable families can enjoy the right to early learning. Extensive research on early human development shows that an…

He is seven years old and until April 2017 he never played in a playground. He never went to cinema or theater. He had no friends. He doesn’t know his father. He was a street child. His name is Arbri. His entire world was confined to his mother and her occasional partners. His life has been a come-and -go to various social service centers , police…

Denisa is a Child Protection Worker (CPW) at the Tirana 7 Administrative Unit, which has approximately 60,000 residents, out of which 15,000 are children. Denisa’s busy agenda and the emergency cases she has to deal with were two of the reasons why our meeting had been continuously postponed.At last, we met on a rainy day at the Tirana Youth enter…

The challenge, Albania has made remarkable efforts in recent years to establish the fundamental pillars for the Child Protection System. The core legislative and policy framework around child protection was significantly reinforced in 2017, with the adoption of the new Law on the Rights and Protection of the Child and the Criminal Justice for Children Code, both…, The solution, UNICEF Albania supports the Albanian Government to build and strengthen a comprehensive and effective child protection system for all children. The main pillars of this approach consist of: -        Enhancing legislative and policy framework around child protection; -        Strengthening mechanisms and capacities of child protection work force…, Resources, These resources represent just a small selection of materials produced by UNICEF globally and its partners in Albania. The list is regularly updated to include the latest information.

The challenge, The economic hardship that many Albanian families are still facing – since Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe – correlates with high levels of stress in families, with children often becoming the easy target for the adults’ frustration. Furthermore, decline of dedicated parental education in the country, and the attitude of “keeping…, The solution, UNICEF Albania implemented an innovative Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI) programme in 1,300 public schools across the country in 2015-2016, targeting teachers’ and parents’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards violent disciplining of children. This significant undertaking yielded some promising results. For example, a comparison…

The challenge, Too many families in need of social protection still face barriers accessing it. Discrimination against the most vulnerable children prevents many from receiving the benefits and services they are entitled to. Until now, social care services in Albania were limited and provided largely by non-state agencies. Existing social services are fragmented…, The solution, Social care reform In November 2016, after four years of intensive work, the Albanian government adopted the Law on Social Care Services and laid the foundation for a system of integrated services for vulnerable families and children. The law clearly directs both central and local governments to cover social care services and the setting up of a…, Resources, For further reading These resources represent just a small selection of materials produced by UNICEF globally and its partners in Albania. The list is regularly updated to include the latest information. Supporting Planning of Social Care Services Basket of Services (2016) Supporting Planning of Social Care Services Vulnerability Mapping (2015)…, Four years of hard work bears fruit, children reading UNICEF For many years in Albania neither child protection and development nor prevention of family poverty was prioritised within the social-protection system. Vulnerability to neglect and lack of basic services plagued many Albanians and in many cases economic assistance was the only support provided. Social-care services were…