First day of school excitement in Albania!

Have you been to the beautiful mountainsides of Northern Albania? It was my first time to this land called Shqipëria, and as it is known by its inhabitants the "Land of the Mountain Eagle," hence the two-headed eagle on their uniquely distinguished national flag.

MAJ Kevin Bosch with the students in front of their newly renovated Kastriot High School

Such beautiful breath-taking purple mountain peaks and quaint rustic rural valley towns! We arrived at the “Gjergj Kastriot” High School, aptly named for the Albanian national hero, where more than 315 students eagerly awaited the inauguration of their newly renovated school. When we arrived, one could sense the kids’ excitement, energy, and enthusiasm about their school. They came up to us to practice their English and to catch up on recent Hollywood movie releases, such as “The Karate Kid”. This is what makes long hours in the staff office worthwhile. Seeing the smiles on the students’ faces and to know they will be the future engineers, lawyers, doctors and teachers of Albania…to me, that is absolutely and gratifyingly priceless!

U.S. Chargé D’Affaires to Albania, Mrs. Deborah Jones, greets the Mayor of Kastriot, Mr. Hamza Leshi, and in background ODC Chief MAJ Kevin Bosch and Mr. Artian Dautaj HA Program Manager

Our program supports the basic humanitarian needs of civilians. The U.S. Chargé D’Affaires to Albania, Mrs. Deborah Jones, put it best, “... Americans believe that education is the foundation of a democratic society. Education helps young people find good jobs. Education leads to a stronger economy. Education allows citizens to become involved in their community.”

The municipality of Kastriot is 9 km northwest of the town of Peshkopi in the District of Diber Northern Albania with 7,800 residents living in this area. This school hosts students from the Kastriot commune, Fushe Cidhen, Arras and Sllove communities.

Mr. Qamil Neziri, the School Director, said there is a steady increase in enrollment “60 more students from last year. 53% of the students were able to attend different universities across Albania. This indicates the interest of our community towards the school and education.”

The EUCOM Humanitarian Assistance (HA) office provided $534,000 to help renovate the high school in Kastriot. Mr. Artian Dautaj, the HA Program Manager from the Embassy's Office of Defense Cooperation, played a pivotal role in the last 11 months meticulously ensuring project success. The renovations included a new roof, electrical wiring, plumbing, gutters, tile flooring, windows, painting and plastering damaged areas. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Europe District provided engineering, contracting and construction oversight as this project was completed by the contractor, SKE, and local subcontractors.

Finally, the Mayor of Kastriot, Mr. Hamza Leshi, captured the essence of the ribbon cutting ceremony at Kastrioti High School best with a traditional Albanian saying:

If you think on what would you do within one year's time frame - work the land,
If you think on what would you do within one century time frame - plant the olive trees,
If you think on what would you do in your life - you better educate young generations.

Me laughing with the students.

LCDR Dúc “Duke” Nguyen
“HA all the way…for the Love!”

U.S. European Command
J-4 Civil Military Operations – Humanitarian Assistance