USAID opens park and playground in Fier

FIER, June 15 – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Municipality of Fier, local businesses, community organizations, and residents, inaugurated the “February 8” Neighborhood Park and Playground in Fier.
Dozens of volunteers from the U.S. Embassy, including the USAID Mission Director, Roberta Mahoney and Peace Corps Director, Hill Denham, joined in the festivities, bringing American cakes, cookies, and pies, painting faces, and installing remaining pieces of playground equipment for the park.
As a result of this project, 350 families with more than 100 children under the age of eight will reap the health and social benefits of a 700m2 safe and pleasant green space. In addition, the nearby residents and businesses who contribute cash or in kind contributions will benefit from the heightened sense of community.
“We hope that this effort today will serve as a model of working together to pool resources and energies in a common effort, for a common good,” said Mahoney. “Every citizen can play an important role, by virtue of the fact that they live and work here, in contributing to this community’s current needs and future development.”
“The U.S. Embassy, through USAID, has worked for many years to help the people of Fier and through our Local Governance Program in Albania have been able to support the work of the Bashkia to improve the services that it delivers to its citizens,” said Mahoney.
The Municipality of Fier contributed all the labor and equipment and some small local businesses and residents have contributed towards two trees, the grass and some flowers. The USAID-funded Local Government Development Project worked with the Municipality of Fier and Co-Plan to produce detailed design and cost estimates for the project.
With the help of Peace Corps Volunteer, Stephanie Sweet, the children from Kindergarten 8 learned about protecting the environment and being good citizens. The children drew pictures of their new park and USAID awarded the winner of the contest a tree in the park in his/her honor.