Sokol Mesiti and his family are among the 457 families in the town of Thumane that have lost their homes due to the November earthquake and have benefited rent bonus, being temporarily housed in rented houses until their new dwellings are built from scratch as part of the national rebuilding program. Prime Minister Edi Rama today was a guest at the house of Sokol, a baker, whose house and business were seriously damaged by the earthquake that hit the country on November 26 last year. His apartment was located at the centre of Thumane, where ruins of the collapsed apartment buildings have been already cleared, while work is underway to clean up the remaining ruins.

While asking for their understanding as the rebuilding process would take time, the government head pledged that the town of Thumane will become a model of success.

“We will start a series of meetings with the hardest-hit communities to unveil the rebuilding projects, talk about the process and provide explanations on the process, when it will commence, when houses will be built and when the affected families will move into their new homes. Yet, it takes patience. We have done utmost efforts to make sure that the work to construct these homes completes as soon as possible, yet projects take a certain amount of time to prepare. An international bid will be launched next week. Thumane will become a model.”

As many as 1503 families have benefited rent bonus in the Municipality of Kruje.