Zubair Khalil Khan, Humanity First Germany
On 26 November, at 3:54am an earthquake of 6.4 magnitude shook the second largest city of Albania, Durres. The city is populated with over 113,000 people and the death toll has risen to over 50 people while hundreds are injured. Nearby villages within a radius of 25km of Durres were also badly affected.
Humanity First went to Ishem village to provide relief, the village’s population was approximately 2000 people. Humanity First volunteers from Albania and Kosovo went to the village and were supervised by Mr Bujar Ramaj, in charge of Humanity First Albania. A team from Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kosova also travelled to Albania and started helping victims of the earthquake.
The doors of the Jamaat’s centre in Albania were opened to earthquake victims. There are approximately 40 children, men and women who are accommodated in the centre and are provided accommodation, regular meals and other facilities.
A large number of tents were also set up by Humanity First to provide shelter to those whose houses were severely damaged. Continuous food supplies are also provided for the villagers. A visit of Ishem village is undertaken on a daily basis.
The latest survey revealed that villagers, due to their culture and traditions, do not want to leave their damaged houses. They wish to have suitable tents in their courtyard where they can spend the night. Currently no suitable long-term tents are available in Albania and Humanity First is trying to acquire suitable tents from Germany or elsewhere. Additionally, villagers have also requested assistance in restoration of their damaged or destroyed houses.