People to People Albania (PTPA), founded and headed by LSIA’s CEO Genci Mucaj, has joined other chapters of PTPI as a fully functioning member organization. PTPA is a non-profit, non-political, and non-religious organization operating under adopted PTPI bylaws. These bylaws have been translated into Albanian and distributed to all PTPA member chapters.
PTPA would like to develop relationships with other chapters to promote friendship and participate in cooperative projects, programs, and visits. Our philosophy is based on international understanding and a friendly educational exchange of world cultures, traditions, and customs. In that respect the country of Albania has a lot to offer! PTPA hopes to make a modest contribution by working with similar organizations throughout the globe.

We have five chapters in Albania, ranging from north to south: Tirana, Durres, Kruja, Berat and Gjirokastra. New Chapters are forming in other parts of the country. PTPA has about 100 members, including Chapter President, Vice-President, Home Stay Coordinator, Youth Coordinator, and Treasurer officers.



Brief History of Albania

Albania is a country settled between two of the world’s oldest civilizations, Roman and Greek. Written documents and antiquities dating to the pre-Christian era have been found hidden in caves, evidence of our long history. Albania, because of its strategic geographic location on the Strait of Otranto has often been the target of war. Despite the conquering of our land by successive rulers, our people and culture have remained intact. For a majority of the 20th century, Albania was governed by a repressive and isolationist communist regime. In the 1990’s, following the death of dictator Enver Hoxha, we began pursuing democratic and economic reform.

Albania, or 'Ancient Illyria,' is bordered by Montenegro and Kosovo in the northeast and by Greece in the southeast. Italy is just across the Adriatic Sea. There are three religions in Albania whose followers live in full harmony: Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, and Roman Catholic 10%. With a 95% Albanian population of over 3,500,000, only 5% belong to other ethnic groups. Albanian expatriates number over 10,000,000 and live all over the world. Our unique language belongs to the Indo-European family and is spoken by Albanians alone.

Northern Albania is dominated by high mountains. The south has lesser mountains and is edged by a coastal plain. It can be said a person’s character corresponds with the social and geographical environment it develops in. The northern Albanian people differ from the southern, not only in spoken dialects, but also in ways of thinking. Overall, Albanians are some of the most hardworking, intelligent, friendly, and peaceful peoples of Europe.


PTPA Aims

We invite you to visit our country and meet PTPA friends in Albania. Inquisitive and eager to learn more about other cultures, Albanians take pleasure in getting to know others.

PTPA is developing wonderful relations with many non-profit organizations in Albania and seeks contacts with such organizations elsewhere in the world. We have approached young people and intellectuals from all walks of life in order to change the Albanian mentality. Having suffered for 50 long years under the harshest communist regime in Eastern Europe, our people have great need for new democratic concepts.

PTPA is more than happy to look after visitors from PTPI member chapters, show them around, make introductions, visit historic places and museums, or take a boat trip along the Adriatic coastline, for example. We offer homestays and warm hospitality.

PTPA youth are very important to us. Students are particularly effective in exchanging cultural and social mindframes. University students show great interest in getting-to-know-you activities of all kinds. Our organization provides them an opportunity to train for a future of international understanding and vision.


PTPI Relief Efforts Realized in Sri Lanka

Kansas City, MO, USA – Life in the northern Jaffna province of Sri Lanka was unstable even before the devastating tsunami of December, 2004. Displacement, destruction and loss of life due to both civil war and the tsunami have created a great need for aid in the rebuilding of the community. People to People International is committed to taking an active role in the reconstruction of the region and their long-term efforts are now coming to fruition.

PTPI became active in supporting Sri Lanka in 2002, creating the Global Landmine Initiative Fund and joining the U.S. Department of State coalition of non-governmental organizations focusing on the removal of landmines. In July, 2004, the PTPI sponsored HALO Trust demining team began working in the Point Pedro mine belt in northern Sri Lanka.

The Tsunami Relief Fund was established immediately after the tsunami in 2004 and the response was outstanding. Familiar with the situation in the Jaffna province, PTPI decided to collaborate with the One Sri Lanka Foundation and Room to Read on a project that would allow for the construction of three pre-schools in the region, allowing the children a chance for a solid foundation in education.

Today those three schools are in the final stages of completion. Each will serve over 30 households in multiple villages and children are expected to begin attending in early April, 2006. Mary Eisenhower, president and CEO of People to People International, will be traveling to Sri Lanka at that time for a dedication of the new schools.
“People to People International considers it an honor to take part in this remarkable effort to rebuild schools, enrich lives and unite communities,” says Eisenhower. “Heartfelt thanks are in order to our many members and friends who made this effort a reality. Your legacy will live well into the future, as countless families are impacted by your compassion and generosity.” read more ...


Plans and Activities

PTPA is open to any projects that might be set up on common ground. Pen pal programs, twining, student summer camps, artistic programs, cultural exchanges, language teaching we would love to join in.

We offer homestay or home hosting to international visitors, student ambassador and family exchanges, internship and professional exchanges, social activities, chapter meetings, and trips. PTPA hosts youth and student programs and others in cooperation with partner organizations. We also sponsor or cosponsor local community events whose purpose is to increase international understanding.

PTPA participates in and has helped host PTPI’s Annual European Conference. The 2005 PTPI European Conference was held in Tirana, Albania from May 13 to 15. PTPA has also played a part in LSIA’s cooperation with NPAC to deliver humanitarian aid throughout Albania (for more information read Aid History ). We have experience with seminars, training workshops, festivals, exhibitions, folklore choir groups, theater, etc. Through us a partner could network with PTPI chapters worldwide and other organizations similar to ours.

An annual newsletter will be published reporting our activities, and copies will go to all PTPI chapters.

We invite you to our beautiful and interesting country and look forward to meeting you.

For more details please contact:

Mr. Genci Mucaj, PTPA President
gencilsia@yahoo.com

Dear friends, old and new ones

As I got back home from nearly two full weeks March 7-19 of traveling both in Korea and Japan,
I found myself enriched and so full of inspiration and delight from the culture, people, colors and language of that corner of the world!

For some months now, I have worked for the Albanian Foreign Minister, as his assistant.
I am traveling around as his envoy and this was a trip to organize his upcoming tour in China, Japan and South Korea late May 2006.

When the National Prayer Breakfast was started by President Eisenhower, he had much on his heart
about how to bring people together. The state department, in his view, was not really
accomplishing what was needed to build strong bonds of trust and friendship. He felt that the
lack of relationship skills caused more division and misunderstanding than necessary....

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