VT Albania

The Valdete Trust (VT) is a Christian aid organization that began in the United Kingdom to help one young disabled Albanian woman, Valdete, with medical needs but has now expanded to help nearly a dozen others through the provision of a daycare center between the two largest cities in Albania (Tirana and Durres) for those suffering from muscular dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, and other similar conditions that make mobility a challenge.

WHY VT is Necessary
Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, still struggling to overcome the legacy of fifty years of Communist oppression and isolation from the rest of the world.  Part of this legacy is inadequate resources available for the treatment and care of those with any kind of disability—physical or mental—and the social stigma attached to those who are disabled.  Such people are often hidden away at home without opportunities for treatment, education, or social development. Even when taken out, they find that disabled access to buildings and suitable toilets are the exception rather than the rule. 

WHAT is the VT?

VT Albania seeks to serve the disabled by opening new doors of opportunity and choice, connecting students with others in meaningful relationships, and cultivating the potential of each individual.

• VT provides a day center and sponsors special outings and activities for its students to socialize outside of their homes, with individuals other than their immediate family members.
• VT offers transportation to the center for its students with a handicap-accessible school bus. 
• VT employs teachers and a physio therapist at its center as well as utilizes a network of volunteers to invest in the lives of these students from their academic education to their personal development for a wholistic approach.

VT & WGM
WGM global worker Nathan Waggoner joined the board of Valdete Trust Albania in 2017.  In 2019, WGM global worker Tiffany Janofski began volunteering for VT in the areas of PR and teaching English. In 2020, the VT-UK board of directors entered into a partnership with WGM-Albania, appointing Tiffany Janofski the new manager of VT Albania beginning in the fall of 2020.

VT Albania’s Long-Term Objective

VT’s longer-term objective is to promote a greater awareness among the people of Albania of the needs and human rights of the disabled. We believe ALL people are created in God’s image, out of an overflow of His great love. Individuals with disabilities are created and loved by God, and He desires a dignified life for them. Our objective is to uphold their value and demonstrate God’s love for them.