My Story

Hello! My name is Albio Topalli. I am a 14 year old boy and my birthday is on March 21^st. I have completed the eighth grade at school. Schools are closed till September 15^th for the summer break. I have also received the evaluation certificate of this school year from my teacher and was pleased with my grades. My favorite subject at school is Math and there I have received the highest mark. I will spend the summer at home. My family and I can’t offer to go for holidays and I will spend these days with my close friends. We gather everyday and play football in the school field or go for short walks in the centre of the village. I am also helping my family as I am now freed from studying the school lessons. This is the season in which we collect cherries and water the vegetables in the gardens. On July we will have the harvest time therefore we all need to work hard in order to bring the wheat from the fields to our home after being harvested. We grind the wheat to flour so we can have enough food provision for a whole year through. My mother, same as all other ladies in the village bakes the bread at home. She also bakes pies filled with vegetables and cooks beans to serve to us in our meals. Most of the families in my village deal with agriculture and raise animals as cows and sheep. They also keep a few hens and chickens to provide at least a few eggs to consume in the mornings. On this season we gather the straw and alfalfa and pile it up and in this way, we provide from our lands the livestock needed for our cows and sheep or donkeys. In a few months time we will have the plums and apples ripen and we will start to collect these fruits. My mother usually makes composts or jam from the plums and apples. My father boils and steams plums to have a few litters of raki (alcoholic brand served to guests in Albania) My family and I live in poverty because we can’t profit a lot to consume from our lands or animals therefore my father is emigrating and working in Greece. He goes there for three months within the year and usually works in agriculture. He earns a better income working there and is able to provide for us a bit more to make the living.

My father’s name is Jani and my mother’s name is Teodora. I have a brother and a sister. My brother’s name is Elios and my sister’s name is Sea. Elios is nine years old and completed the third grade at school. We both go to the same school and also frequent the activities of the LWI church in Proptisht. On Mondays we have the church service and on Wednesdays we have Bible classes. I am blessed once a month with a food package from Adopt a Child and pray that the Lord will bless all who care for me. God bless you!

Translated by Martin Rucolli

Adopt a Child Albania