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The ten-day children camp “Everyone at school for a better future” closed

20.07.2015

Pejë, 20 July – Closing ceremony of the ten-day children camp “Everyone at school for a better future” was held in 7 Shtatori Neighbourhood. This camp was implemented by 7 Shtatori nongovernmental organization in partnership with NGO Syri i Vizionit.

The aim of this camp was to socialize children of Roma, Egyptian and Ashkali communities with the Albanian community children, raising of awareness on the importance of school and returning to school of children that have already dropped it.

The camp provided the opportunity to children with grave economic situation in the family, particularly to those of Roma, Egyptian and Ashkali communities, to deal with leisure and educative activities during their summer vacations and to socialize with other children.
Within these days of the camp, children have created various artistic works, through which they request respect of their rights, the right to education, non-discrimination and to be equal in society.  They expressed all these things in paintings which were exhibited in the closing ceremony.

Aside from the children, parents and implementing organizations, 7 Shtatori  and Syri i Vizionit, “Terre de Homes” as financial supporter of this camp, the Municipality of Pejë and the OSCE, commended the organization of this camp and the work that is being doing with and for children.

“On behalf of the Mayor of Pejë and on behalf of my Office I congratulate for the indefatigable work with these children, who need to have such activities very much and socialize with each other and attend school process as it is indispensable for them and our society,” said Sebahate Qorkadiu, the official for gender equality and human rights in the Municipality of Pejë.

On the other hand, Shasimete Selimaj, director of 7 Shtatori organization, apart from thanking all those that helped implementation of this camp, said that it should be traditional in this area of the town in the future, as these children desperately need something like this. She requested from municipal institutions to take over the responsibility of organizing a similar camp each year with the local organizations.

The representative of “Terre de Homes” organization, Naim Bilalli, also agreed with this saying that the municipality should take over the responsibility of supporting this camp next year and support local organizations that are directly working with the community, namely children.

Naser Lajqi of NGO Syri i Vizionit spoke about awareness of parents of these children, the importance that education has in these or other children that were not in the camp on not dropping the school, as it is the most precious asset they might have in their life. He also assessed the importance that provision of activities for children that are not in position to go somewhere for summer vacations has on them, in particular to children coming from Roma, Egyptian and Ashkali communities.

Eighty children and seven animators who worked with them were involved in this camp. Children’s works were presented at the end of the ceremony and a joint cocktail was organized for all the people present in this ceremony.