General plan of the Village of Peace
Promoted by Caritas Shkodër on the occasion of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000
The Village of Peace is a reality born of the desire to offer Albanian society a witness of unity, of universal brotherhood and of service to the poor and to the most forgotten sections of society, with the aim of integrating them with the rest of society.
The Village of Peace (which came into being during the refugee emergency of 1999) has taken the form of a multipurpose centre with social and cultural aims. Today the facility stands on the slope of Mount Tarabosh, near the outflow of Lake Shkodër, thanks to the valuable contribution of Caritas Brescia and Caritas Darfo, and to funds from the Missione Arcobaleno. The landscape is graced by the castle and by the river Buna, which joins the river Drin in a setting of fields and mountains that together form a new backdrop, one which we hope will be an encouragement to peace and universal brotherhood.
For the Church of Shkodër, the experience of the refugee emergency was not only a period of very generous service but also an occasion for deep reflection on the social problems amid which it lives. This reflection led us to think of a facility that would be placed at the service of the local population and be a witness of unity and love.
The building itself is emblematic: for some 150 years it served as a military barracks, but it is now being transformed into a centre for promoting peace and universal brotherhood.
It is as though the word of Isaiah were beginning to be fulfilled: «They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more» (cf. Is 2:4–5).
General description of the activities
The houses of the village are like these: small houses, but with great significance, because within them peace and harmony are born among young people of different ethnic groups and religious faiths.
Among the specific projects, those directed towards the Roma, who live at the foot of this facility, stand out. Long before, the Capuchin Fathers had committed themselves to the education of the Roma with a small school for catching up on schooling and teaching reading and writing, and the project has grown into a social and cultural programme which continues to be carried out in the Village of Peace. For this project four prefabricated buildings have been made available, donated by Caritas Darfo-Brescia through funds from the Missione Arcobaleno; they house remedial classes, the canteen and rest area, the outpatient clinic and the social and health counselling centre run by Malteser. Everything is carried out under the coordination of the Capuchin friars of Shkodër.
The second project is a first-reception facility for girls, minors in difficulty and people with disabilities. For these two groups “family homes” and work laboratories have been set up. In this area the Diocesan Caritas of Shkodër-Pult works together with the Pope John XXIII Community, led by Don Oreste Benzi, which from the very beginning of the Village of Peace has provided volunteers who continue to be present and to make their valuable contribution to easing various social problems.
The House of Peace for children. Caritas Shkodër has made a house near the Village of Peace available to assist minors with various social problems. Albanian and foreign volunteers work together on this project.
The House of Peace project. Starting from the fact that our society is living dramatically in a situation of conflict and violence, and bearing in mind the scenes of ethnic war in the Balkans, over the years many local, national and international activities have been carried out to educate for peace and tolerance and for the peaceful resolution of internal conflicts, not through violence but through dialogue and peaceful encounter between the different parties.
Some of the prefabricated houses are available to host groups wishing to hold times of formation and spiritual exercises, as well as volunteers from abroad who wish to gain experience both in the House of Peace and in the solidarity activities mentioned above.
The land on which the centre has been built, purchased with funds from the Diocesan Caritas of Brescia, has been transformed into a botanical garden in which species of the local flora are cared for. For this we have the help and advice of one of the best agronomists in Albania, Prof. Ahmet Osja, who was recently decorated by the President of the Republic of Albania. Guests of the village will also work in this garden (young people with social problems who are assisted by the associations mentioned above), as well as the guests of the House of Peace themselves.