Although Albania does not have as many orphans as Romania, F.R.O.D.O. has been able to identify a need for disabled and disadvantaged children and plays a part in meeting it. This need is best explained through Xia’s story. A F.R.O.D.O. medical team led by Mark Paterson, Manoj Ramachandran and Di Coggins, re-visited Albania earlier this year to operate on Xia and others.

Xia was born with a disability, in a village in the north of Albania. In this region, there is a strict patriarchal framework where women play only a marginal role and still, there are customs and rules very far from a modern lifestyle. The presence of a disability is considered a curse, a divine damning of the whole family. Xia’s parents felt themselves threatened by the villagers and their attitudes and so decided to move to Tirana to set up a new life. The beginning was difficult, Xia’s father did not find a job and her mother had to look after a baby. Although the parents were open minded they did not have any experience of disability and found it very difficult to find any support or advice – even at the hospital.

Xia’s family made contact with CSE Primavera – one of F.R.O.D.O.’s partners in Albania. Here, she received physiotherapy and although this helped Xia, she still walked in a ‘frog-like’ position. Through surgery by the F.R.O.D.O. team, Xia is now able to stand up straight. She continues to get physiotherapy support from our partners and is now able to lead a better life. Xia is a very popular girl and has now become one of the first disabled children enrolled in a public school in Albania. Xia’s case shows that with determination and the help of F.R.O.D.O. and our partners, great things can happen.