Jerina Zaloshnja from Tirana Times recently talked with Arnold Geiger, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the German Foundation of NEHEMIA, which is centered in the village of Bu読as, Pogradec. What do the people of the German Foundation “NEHEMIA” do in Albania, how does NEHEMIA function, the first private school opened in Albania. This is what Geiger replies:
Q: To begin with, could you give us a brief introduction to your foundation? What exactly is the NEHEMIA foundation and what are its activities in Albania?
A: The NEHEMIA Foundation has been in Albania for almost fifteen years. It has a broad range of activities, chiefly in the humanitarian field. NEHEMIA in Albania is an independent foundation, but is also linked to the foundation bearing the same name in Germany. The center of our Foundation is located in the village of Bu読as, five kilometers from the small city of Pogradec, SE Albania, but it also has branches in the cities of Gjirokastra, Durres and Kruma-Has. When it first began operations, the foundation distributed assistance in food supplies to the poor families in the villages, chiefly in the vicinity of Pogradec. Today, we have a different situation, the need for assistance has also changed and the nature of the activity of our foundation has changed accordingly. Today, the activity of NEHEMIA in and around Pogradec, where our centre is located, includes a private school that covers all the levels of pre-University schooling (kindergarten, primary and secondary schooling), many different social activities, like courses to train dress makers etc. The Centre also provides medical assistance and various projects related to services and building.
The NEHEMIA School was built with different investments and donations. It was opened 7-8 years ago and was Albania’s first private school. I firmly believe that this school has a fine reputation and this year it is expected that 500 pupils will enroll. 99 per cent of the teaching staff is Albanians, teachers of status. But as I said, apart from the school in Pogradec, we also have other important activities, like social services. Currently we have a community social services centre. The centre has employed several groups of specialists who go house to house and provide poor families or invalids, old aged with free advice on a broad range of issues. Apart from advising people, our specialists verify cases and apply different assistance and benefit schemes, ranging from distribution of assistance that comes from Germany, up to sending emergency health cases to Germany. So far NEHEMIA has invested 10 million in Albania. Working on different projects the Foundation has 110 Albanian employees on employment contracts, for whom they pay health insurance and it also has about thirty foreign collaborators from Germany, UK, Netherlands and other countries.
Q: Why did you choose Albania to live and work in?
A: I had this idea following a visit I paid to Albania in November 1991. That visit itself was a coincidence. I was a coach driver back in those days and I brought a group of German tourists to Albania. I saw the poverty with my own eyes and I had the wish to provide fruitful help for these people with concrete projects. The initial idea was to stay in Albania for not longer than three months, as I explained earlier, to distribute German aid. Its fifteen years since then. We made our centre in Bucimas of Pogradec from day one.
Q: Fifteen years later, how does Albania seem to you, its people?
A: For me, this is a very beautiful country and very suitable to work and live in. I come from Germany and together with my family I have settled here in Albania, as I said fifteen years ago. As a personal experience, I can say that our life in Albania has proven very fruitful. Here our family has experienced the joy of a new addition, a baby, our fifth child. As a new human experience on a broader scale, I can say that over the last fifteen years Albania has undergone visible development. When I draw a comparison with the poverty of the first years, the lack of development, unemployment, the absence of vehicles on the streets, the absence of private homes, the very difficult living conditions of the Albanians back then (7-8 family members slept in the one room), naturally I can see huge progress. Now, after fifteen years of experience, I believe Albania is on the right road. I am very encouraged from what I have seen.
Q: What else can you tell us about the social situation of people here in Pogradec. Does the poverty make an impression on you?
A: It’s difficult to answer in two words. As in every other country, in Pogradec there are affluent and poor. We try hard to serve the needy..
Q: Could we focus on the school for a little, as now you have years of experience. Is the education system in Albania different from that of other countries, for example, Germany?
A: I believe we are talking about two different things, which are theory and practice. I think that the theoretical programs approved by the Albanian Ministry of Education are, in my opinion, excellent and the more suitable. We have constantly made comparisons with partner schools in Germany. Our school in Pogradec has been twinned with a school in Shundorf, Bavaria, a private school with hostels of a very high quality; as well as with an American school, a primary school in Chicago. It has emerged from the researching of these programs that the Albanian programs for this school level are very good. School attendance is satisfactory; there is regular attendance which shows the interest of Albanian pupils in education. Schools are like buildings, they exist. But what is lacking from Albanian schools today, particularly in the remote rural areas are infrastructure, school buses, not to mention the very old and dilapidated buildings.
Q: What comment would you make about the Albanian pupils?
A: They are intelligent and have a thirst for knowledge. At NEHEMIA School, the pupils are chosen through a competition. This category of pupils is without doubt orientated towards learning and gaining new skills. I have been working for entire years now with the children and adults of Pogradec I am always surprised by the fact that these pupils are so interested in learning foreign languages, for example, English and German. The pupils I have seen are a very strong and solid potential.
Q: Mr. Geiger, you have been in Albania for fifteen years. What about your family, have they adapted to the Albanian way of life?
A: Very well. We have a broad range of activities and my wife coordinates humanitarian programs and the persons who come to apply for these programs. For ten years we lived in a bungalow that came fro, Seicra, for the time being we have moved into a home we are renting. I have two children who are now grown up and after several years of life in Albania have gone back to Germany to continue higher studies. Currently we have two other children and a new born baby, our fifth child who was born in Albania. We live well, in a beautiful scenic zone and a wonderful climate, fresh air, except when they start burning rubbish. Heating in the Winter is provided by the solar panels, an entirely functional and economic system. We have created ourselves our own carpentry sector for the production of doors and window frames and all these items you see here have been produced by our workshop. Albanian cooking which we also apply at home is very tasty to us, even though there is a lot of fat. I have put on thirty kilograms of weight in comparison with fifteen years ago. This not something to boast about, but it does prove how much we like the cooking. My wife has adapted fully to this style of living. Together we have decided to work in Albania for a few more years and it has turned out that she is a wonderful partner in this job. We have settled down fine and we live well.
Q: And for how many years do you think you will work in Albania?
A: The projects will continue, but as a family, we still have not decided how long we will stay. For example, of late, my colleagues have been committed more to the work with the school, allowing me to deal more with projects in other districts.
Q: If and when you leave Albania one day, what do you think you will say to the Albanians? What would your parting words be do you think?
A: I don’t believe in parting words, because people change. But, undoubtedly, together with other foreign friends who come here, we have undoubtedly wonderful impressions about the people here. They are hospitable and warm. What foreigners usually complain about are the lack of public amenities, the lack of hygiene in public places, lack of care in keeping public places clean and tidy. This is a field where we Albanians all have a lot to learn. I believe that this is something that can be achieved. Our own homes are spotless, why can’t we do the same in public?
Q: Anything else we forgot to mention?
A: I wish to encourage all Albanians to invest in their own country. People here are open and learn quickly. The scenery is breathtaking, it’s a pearl. In other words, serious investments are required that would help the community and the younger generations living in Albania. I think that the governments have encouraged foreign and local investments. This is further aid for those who are interested in investing in this country. For example, in our activity as a foreign foundation we have enjoyed normal cooperation with both local and foreign government bodies. No one has obstructed us, on the contrary, we have found support and hospitality. So I wish to underline that this is a suitable country to invest in.
