Albanians have preserved many of their cultural traditions and customs. Traditional dress is still seen in some rural areas, especially on Sundays and holidays among the older generation. Young people have adopted Western fashions for the most part, but the family has a significance it seldom has in other Western cultures.

Albania has a narrow coastal plain and a mostly mountainous interior that is lightly forested. A few large lakes stretch along the country's borders with Montenegro in the north and Macedonia and Greece in the southeast. The Ionian coast from Vlorë to Saranda offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.

Community Development

Public confidence in politics and most public institutions is at a low ebb in Albania. The development and strengthening of local organizations is key to the vitality of the towns and villages around the country. Local government has become a focal point for the development of responsible civil society in the country. More and more authority for providing public services is being decentralized to the local level, and local people are required to be more involved in decision-making about the development of their communities.

Peace Corps Volunteers involved in community development are helping to improve the organizational and management capacities of local government and locally-based central government agency staff members and community leaders. Volunteers also facilitate the development of collaborative activities with community organizations, businesses, and citizens' groups, and provide assistance to all segments of a community in project design and management.

Health

Albania is in great need of support in public health. Public services and the health infrastructure are in very poor condition, and doctors and nurses are cut off from new developments in medicine. Albania's infant mortality rate is one of the highest in Europe, and the public health system must tackle new problems for which it has little experience, including drug abuse and sexually transmitted diseases.

Health education Volunteers work with district-level health promotion units, local clinics, schools, and community groups to provide education on maternal and child health, water and sanitation, drug awareness, and other local health issues. Volunteers also help develop health education programs and materials and deliver those programs primarily at the community level.

English Education

Albanians are eager to learn English to begin to participate more fully in the world community. English and other Western languages are taught in public schools from an early age, but the teaching and learning conditions are very challenging. Skilled English teachers have left their profession for higher-paying jobs and the government has few resources to maintain schools and provide materials. The demand for English education far outstrips the ability of the school system to supply it.

Volunteers teach English as a foreign language to Albanian students as part of a regular secondary school program, but also work with students and teachers outside the classroom to help them improve their abilities to communicate in English. In universities and foreign language schools, Volunteers are training future teachers of English and working with local authorities to develop ongoing teacher-training programs. Volunteers also use English teaching to help improve the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills of their students. Volunteers participate in English summer camps, produce radio programs, coach debate clubs, contribute to newspapers, and create English language materials.