“The Gift
that Keeps on Giving”
A Child
Landmine Survivor Struggles to Build a Life
“Seven
years after the Kosovo conflict ended, NATO bombs continued to
explode (this fall) in the mountains of northern Albania. This
time, however, it was a reassuring sound. Up in the hills, men
in protective gear were setting off bomb lets that alliance
warplanes scattered along the Kosovo border during the 78 days
of hostilities.
Within
earshot but miles away, men and women combed other hillsides,
inch by inch, on hands and knees, searching for landmines
planted by combatants in the ground war between Serb forces and
Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian separatists.
For
isolated villages such as Dobruna, it’s been seven years of
death, amputations, shrapnel wounds and blown-up farm animals,
seven years of blocked-off grazing lands, forests and water
supplies. The explosives have choked off any hope of
development here, denying more than 25,000 people access to
parts of their land…
Most
residents fled the day NATO began bombing Kosovo, March 24,
1999, in a campaign to halt attacks by Serb forces on ethnic
Albanians in the breakaway province. They returned to a
familiar landscape made lethal by landmines and booby traps.
Dobruna had become one of the border’s most
explosives-contaminated villages…
(Excerpted
from Washington Post, “Years After War in Kosovo, Land Mines
Scar Albania,” December 10, 2006, Barbara Frye)
Fllanxa Murra,
Burrel
Fllanxa
is from Burrel. She was injured in 1998 when she
 was only 9
years old while playing near her
house. She lost both legs as well as three fingers on her left
hand and was hospitalized for more than three months. She was
an excellent student and had just finished the VIII-th grade.
However, following the accident, she quit school and became
socially isolated inside her house. Her family is not able to
provide Fllanxa with transport to school, nor are they able to
provide special tutorage so she can catch up on her backlog she
suffered as a result of the accident. Her life has changed
completely, for she is now fourteen years old and is unable to
read or write. Yet, Fllanxa remains a girl full of energy and
eager to learn. Now she is in the 8-th class.
Action Taken so far:
In 2001,
when visiting the Slovenian Institute of Rehabilitation to
have her prostheses fitted, Fllanxa captivated the staff’s
attention immediately. They collected funds and purchased a
laptop computer for her. Furthermore, the Director of the
Institute of Rehabilitation privately funded a project to
provide Fllanxa with extra classes so she could catch up
with her peers at school, learn computer skills and study
English. Fllanxa has now returned to school and is well on
her way to catching up with her peers.
Thanks to donations made by individual
well wishers of the Albanian business and diplomapts at the
Night of 1000 Dinners, Fllanxa is making good progress.
Currently she is in the eth class of primary school.
During 2007-2008 she has received
support for special catch classes, English, transportation
to and from school and school supplies to complete
compulsory School
Assistance
Requested for Fllanxa:
She needs further support to attend High
School. The support is needed to attend English and special
catch up classes as well as for school materials,
transportation to and from the school and to participate in
recreation activities.
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History of
Regina Murati
Regina Murati was 7 years old when the Gerdec
explosion happened. The day of the accident Regina
Murati was staying home with her mother, grandmother
and her two little sisters. Her house was very near
of the Munitions Depot. When the first explosion
happened her mother and her grandmother took the
children’s and running in the forest to go as far as
possible to rescue their life. ..
Izet ADEMAJ
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Lumturi MUHADRI
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