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"Amaro Tan" means "our place" in Romani, the language of Albania's ethnic Roma minority. The Amaro Tan School, located in an economically challenged part of Pogradec, Albania, provides a safe place for low-income Roma, Albanian Egyptian, and Albanian children to learn and grow. Roma and Egyptian minority groups, which make up about 3% of the total population, disproportionately live in extreme poverty. Persistent inflation exacerbated by war in Ukraine continues to erode many Albanians' ability to meet their most basic needs. Families already living in poverty are increasingly anxious and desperate.
Amaro Tan provides education for 130 Roma, ethnic Egyptian, and low-income Albanian children from preschool through ninth grade every year. It provides hot meals for the children, health and dental services, social worker services and parent engagement, vocational education for a variety of ages, and opportunities for play. The curriculum is the same as that taught in Albanian schools. Access to education and an array of social services makes the difference between endemic poverty and secure, sustainable communities. By offering these children at the margins of society the same access to education as their Albanian peers, the Amaro Tan School works to break the cycle of poverty in the Albanian Egyptian and Roma communities. In a time of uncertainty, the school provides safety and stability these children urgently need.
For this grant we are requesting $2,600 in Rotary District Matching grant funds, to go with $1,600 from the Rotary Club of Estes Park, to run a camp for 60 Amaro Tan students during summer vacation in August 2024. Time out of school for Amaro Tan students is time that they are at increased risk of being forced into begging and trash collecting on the streets of Pogradec-or of being trafficked. Summer camp allows these children to be children, enjoying age-appropriate activities and field trips in a wholesome atmosphere. Along with activities, students receive breakfast and lunch and transportation to and from camp. At a time when poor families are struggling to put food on the table, this respite meets immediate needs and provides an incentive to keep children in school when school starts up again in September.
Rotary funding will be used to help pay for materials used for activities, staffing, breakfasts and lunches for up to 60 students for 20 days. The meals will be prepared and provided by the Nehemiah Cafeteria at the Nehemiah Gateway campus in Pogradec.
Note: This is a different summer camp that the special; needs camp the Rotary Club of Estes Park sponsored in 2023 (P-4704) - that project served children with special needs and was run by clinicians and social workers. This summer camp focuses on at-risk Roma children and is run by teachers from the Amaro Tan school, it is a different group of children and the goals and objectives of the camp are different.
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