My Story

Hello! My name is Irisa Karaj. I am 11 years old and my birthday is on June 10^th. I am doing well and in good health. My future dream is to be an advocate. Schools were closed for the summer break from June and till September and I have spent the summer at home. I have played for a long while outside with my friends and cousins who live near my home. I have enjoyed my time plying volleyball with my friends during the summer. We play this game at the school field or at the road, but we play this game at the programme, after the Bible classes. I am also helping my mother. She is working and for this reason, I do the cleaning in the morning after I wake up. I will start the sixth grade at school on September and am very excited to return to school after the long summer break we passed. Because of the pandemic, we are going to respect the distancing during this school year and have to keep masks, but I am happy that we are going to take the lessons physically and not online. We don’t have here in the village activities for the children going on so that we can be part off and I am very happy that I can join the sponsorship programme and participate in the activities they organize for the children of the church. During the past summer, I was happy to participate in the summer camp that the church organized for the teens in Kotodesh for a whole week.

My family and I live in Rajca. This village is far from Kotodesh, but I have the possibility to go to the church there as well as to the other activities we have during the week. My father’s name is Denis. He has divorced my mother while we as family were living in Italy. I was born there also. After the divorce, my mother returned to live in Albania in the home of her parents (my grandparents). She is raising me without the support of my father. My grandparents have left for us both a room so that we can live together with them and they provide for our living. My mother’s name is Mirire. She is working in a fast food doing the cleaning and she is receiving a monthly pay. I am happy that she is hired in the fast food and she makes sure that we are both provided for our living, but she receives a small pay and we are poor facing many needs. My grandparents have a very small portion of land in the village and are planting vegetables for us to consume. At present, we are collecting the last vegetables from the garden. Around our garden we have also got a few fruit trees and with these fruits, my grandmother and mother mak jam or juice that we consume. My grandparents have decided to keep no animals because they need lots of food provision and we have only a small portion of land.

The Living Water Adopt a Child church in Kotodesh has activities at the program center dedicated to the children, youth and adults. The children and teens who are registered at the programme take Bible classes and afterwards they stay a bit longer to play football, volleyball and to fellowship between each other. Once in a while they gather during the afternoons to watch a Christian movie. Another Bible study is also going on for the ladies of the church during the week. The church of Kotodesh meets for their service every Saturday. In every six weeks, the children in our programme receive a food package containing groceries. These food items have been tremendous blessings to the children and families alike. Every family is facing hardships financially and remains in need for more food in their homes. Living Water Adopt a Child had brought a lot of help spiritually and physically to the children and their families. We are thankful to you for all your care and support to these children. God bless you abundantly!

Translated by Martin Rucolli

Adopt a Child Albania