Speech delivered by Prime Minister Edi Rama at the ceremony organized for “National Day of the Orphan Children”:

Hello everyone and may you enjoy this day that gathered us together!

I want to thank, also on behalf of the Government, the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament who, along with the National Association and all other supporters, organized such a beautiful moment to celebrate many children and above all many mothers that need support. They have gathered here to remind us that indeed this is a day to celebrate, but it is true as well that on other days orphan children and their materfamilias shall not be forgotten.

As the Speaker of Parliament said, the problems of orphans, as well as the problems of our country and society in general are numerous. There were not created in one day, and they are waiting to be solved for a long time. Some of them are easy, others are more difficult, some require little effort to be solved while some others a lot of work. But without any doubt it is a serious problem and the social wound of all those children, all those orphans who, even after growing up, are not able to integrate properly into the social life. We all are aware of this social wound, and this is why it is no coincidence that, as the Speaker mentioned here, all Members of  Parliament – you know that generally speaking it is not easy for us in Parliament to think alike – agreed to give full support to orphaned children.

We are aware of the tough dwelling conditions of orphans.

I had the pleasure, before getting in here, to meet with a group of children from the “Zyber Hallulli” institution. My thoughts go to all children who are living in these institutions, and I promise that we will do everything possible to improve their living conditions because they deserve to be treated the same as any other child under the state care. But we are also aware that this is not only about centers, but as we previously mentioned, it is also about households of materfamilias who have to raise their orphaned children. Today, we commit together also to those materfamilias that we will carry forward our idea to develop a policy of special support.

Today, it is us. Others stood before us, and some others will come next, but there is no doubt that you are here today, more than for any other reason, because of the great solidarity created around you by all these organizations and associations. So let me thank and express my gratitude to Kadri who, lead by his passion and goodwill, has done for you more than every previous government altogether, simply by gathering good-hearted people, groups and organizations who together with him have been able somehow to relieve the pain and heal the wounds that any government could not heal and relieve with the same efficacy.

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Today, on the International Day of Orphaned Children, Prime Minister Edi Rama attended an activity organized by the Albanian Parliament and various associations for orphans. The Prime Minister committed to give special attention to them and their mothers, in order to relieve their pains and improve their living conditions, especially to those children living in institutions for orphans and who are under the state care.