From the moment that the van appeared, the children of the commune of Malisheva welcomed their old friends by running to meet them. With childish smiles and openness, they began to sing and dance without regard for the weather conditions. The children from the primary classes have now become old friends and are very loving. They called the Albanian young people, ‘teachers’, although they are simply volunteers coming from the Orthodox Church of Albania who organize educational activities and entertainment games for them. A major feature of this program is that the Kosovo children and young Albanians have established a strong fraternal connection, which is very apparent also to the teachers and parents. Now there has been more than a decade of experience and friendship that has passed from generation to generation through these activities, which have left deep footprints in children’s memories. This year, in the commune of Malisheva, during the period August 16- 31 three camps were held in the schools of the villages: Begaj, Banjë and Carallukë. The central theme was, “The Beauty of Nature.” Every day children had the possibility to see dramas about various aspects of environmental care inside the family and school. The program contained games, songs, group discussions, cocktail and arts and crafts. Children participated in the activity four hours per day. During the morning, the camp was attended by children from pre-school to the fourth classes; and in afternoon the camp was attended by the fifth to the ninth classes. One of the days of the camp was dedicated to games and it was called, ‘The Day of the Olympic Games’. Children played a lot and learned a lot during these games. On the last day of the camp a feast took place which was prepared by the groups of children who participated in the camp.
“I liked very much this activity and I can hardly wait for all of you to come back again next year” – says Erjona Krasniqi, a student at the school, “Imer Krasniqi”, in Carallukë, Malisheva. She was full of joy and zeal telling to her family and friends about the activities of the program of the camp. Children, more than anyone else have a need for such activities, to play, rejoice, and learn. This is a fruitful collaboration, and parents and teachers feel satisfied with their children’s joy. The leader of this activity, Mr. Nathan Hoppe told Kosovo students: “We have the joy to bring to you the greetings of Archbishop Anastasios and of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania”.
Beauty is one of the greatest values of human life. We have many beautiful things around us that we should value, and we hope that this camp will have an effect in the development of these children.
As a sign of respect for organizing this camp with children, the teaching staff of the school, “Imer Krasniqi”, prepared a reception and a special program, accompanied also with a gift of appreciation. While the director of the school of Begaj, Mr. Izet Shala, considered the program to be of a high level. “We really appreciate the theme for the protection of the Albanian nature. It has been a beneficial preparation for our students on the eve of the start of the school year “- he said. The children and staff parted rejoicing because they had the opportunity to be together for a few days, but also with a feeling of sadness because they would not see each other until next year.
Isidor Koti
Translated by Ana Meni
Edited by Anastasia Pamela Barksdale
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