European Union helps Albania to rebuild after devastating earthquake – Albania

On November 26, 2019, Albania woke up to the most dangerous natural disaster in modern history. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake kills 51 people, injured at least 913 others, and injured 220,000 – nearly 10 percent of the population.

The earthquake devastated the Albanian economy, exacerbating the current poverty rate by 2.3 percent and declining GDP by more than 1 percent.

A year later, the devastation is still visible, giving a stark reminder that life has changed irreversibly for many.

Building on the findings of the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, conducted by the European Union, the World Bank, the United Nations (with UNDP as the technical lead) and the Albanian government, UNDP’s long-term support focused on investing in rebuilding public infrastructure, including Education, strengthening country preparedness for disasters, and helping local economies.

Education – the best investment for the future

Moza Shehu, her husband, Getim, and their two sons have been living in a rented apartment for nearly a year, while Durrs municipality is rebuilding their home. The family still remembered how the house started shaking near dawn, and then they were forced to flee for their lives.

The earthquake transformed the usual enthusiasm for going to kindergarten into anxiety and distress.

Fortunately, their rental apartment is located near the kindergarten “1Qershori”.

“Two months ago – about a week or two before the start of the new school year – Liku and I were passing Kindergarten 1 Qershori and the colorful EU4Schools logo surrounding the kindergarten caught his attention. We were told that the children in this neighborhood would have a completely new and modern kindergarten, built At the highest international standards. When I explained this to Liku, he immediately said that he wanted to go there. She said, “Hearing him speak enthusiastically again cannot make me happier.

The kindergarten is one of the 58 educational facilities of the EU4Schools, implemented by the United Nations Development Program in Albania. Funded by the European Union of US $ 77 million, and supplemented with a contribution of US $ 905,000 from the United Nations Development Program, the program will repair or rebuild 58 educational facilities in 11 municipalities, housing about 20,000 students, children and teachers. About 440,000 will benefit from the construction work.

The United Nations Development Program held rounds of consultations with community members to get their ideas about #SchoolIWant. More than 7,000 people participated actively in the consultations. Communities have demanded that schools be equipped with laboratories, gyms, libraries, and accessibility for persons with disabilities and community environments.

To enhance transparency, there is a public online platform that displays results and updates on ongoing construction work.

The first 22 of these educational facilities will be available to welcome students safely and serve the community during this academic year.

Helping small businesses recover

In November 2019, Anilda Costrini, manager of ‘Xhulio & Bora’ in Durres, lost her husband and subsequently their company.

If the earthquake made one thing certain, it was that Anilda needed a new approach to revive her business so she could take care of her family. Became one of 15 beneficiaries of the “In-Motion” pilot program of the United Nations Development Program that aims to stabilize the economic conditions of small businesses, help them restore business infrastructure and re-establish their economic activities in the market.

In-Motion brought Anilda together with 14 other small business owners and helped them improve their entrepreneurial skills, business image, and purchase of new equipment.

They are trained by the United Nations Development Program in case diagnosis, accounting, marketing and management. Everyone improved their brand image through brand development, advertising, infrastructure and inventory upgrades.

The consultants instructed Anilda and the other owners to emphasize sales of local products and then to apply promotions to these products to increase sales and attract new customers. To get a better idea of ​​their earnings, I began recording sales based on product ranking and by establishing a pricing policy, which is critical to every company, but never did before.

One year later, the fifteen companies reimagine their projects and enjoy a 10 percent increase in profits.

Small businesses account for more than 94 percent of all businesses in Albania, and they employ about 38 percent of all workers in the private sector, making “In Motion” an important program that helps the most vital workforce in the country.

Preparing the country to face natural disasters and putting people at the forefront

In the aftermath of the earthquake, the country’s emergency response capabilities were overwhelmed, illustrating the need for enhanced preparedness, prevention and recovery.

The municipality of Lezhe is a representation of these risks, with hydrological, meteorological, climatic, seismic, and geophysical hazards threatening its population, nature and economic prospects.

Most of Lizzi’s residents suffer from flood problems – they make a living from their crops and never tire of planting them. Unfortunately, these crops have not been harvested due to the regular floods. This house was built more than 500 years ago on the top of the hill, so we haven’t seen floods, but we rebuilt the house four times due to earthquakes. Mark Balagh, who lives in the village of Sbiton, said, “The November 26 earthquake was the last blow, making the house uninhabitable.

The United Nations Development Program, in partnership with Lezha Municipality and a think tank specializing in urban development, has created three tools to adequately address natural hazards: a natural disaster risk assessment, a document setting out strategic priorities for DRR mainstreaming and a local civil emergency plan. The municipality participatory risk assessment has been completed, the GIS platform has been updated with relevant data to create a multi-hazard profile for the municipality, and the municipal civil emergency plan project is already under implementation. A municipal disaster risk reduction strategy (DRR) has been developed.

To ensure a comprehensive approach and the voices of all concerned, UNDP held consultations with local government, companies, civil society organizations and citizens. The newly established Civil Protection Committee was a direct result of this process.

The United Nations Development Program has also launched a support program at the national level. In the long term, this will ensure that Albania has a national platform for disaster risk reduction for institutional dialogue, a national strategy for disaster risk reduction, and a national contingency plan, while at the same time providing a blueprint for local DRR tools and organizational approaches that can be replicated for all Albanian municipalities Number 61.

After the earthquake

The same earthquake that caused devastation and suffering strengthened partnerships, steadfast support for those in need and provided an opportunity for #BuildForwardBetter.

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