To continue the friendship that has been built betwen the young people of our Orthodox Church with the Kosovar families that came into Albania in the difficult time of 1999 and were helped by our church, summer camps were held in Kosova. For the pass four years, the Orthodox Autocefalous Church of Albania has organized camps for children in Kosovo in the area of Malisheva. After the war, the children were traumtized and were not enjoying their childhood. The Church decided to organize camps for children to entertain them and to continue the friendship that started during the war period.
   In the middle of June young adults from different areas of Albania, along with students and former students of the Orthodox Theological Academy of the “Resurrection of Christ” were gathered in the Monastery of Saint Vlash from where they would begin their travel to Kosova. Everything began with the Divine Liturgy, so that we may start well spiritually and receive guidance for the work that we had in front of us. During the first two days, 24 young people were preparing for these camps, for the games to be played with children, art and craft project, and songs to be taught to the children.
   After two days of preparation on the 15th of June, we traveled to Kosovo where we stayed in the small city of Malisheva. The next day, we took part in the celebration of the  Independence day of Malisheva. The following day, we met our Kosovar collaborators (teachers of the schools where we had the camp), with our former collaborators and with the children of the village of Caralluka with whom we had had camps for three years. Because it was impossible to organize a camp there this year, we had a short visit.
   It was impossible for our presence in a small city like Malisheva to go unnoticed.  People were interesed in our activities. We told them that we are hosting camps with the children of Kosova at the schools in Banja and Begaj. We had an invitation from a teacher to organize a small activity with the children of Ibrahim Mazreku’s school in Malisheva. We accepted it with pleasure and for one afternoon we played games with 200 children. In the morning of the 18-th of June, we began our camps. The camp in the school of Naim Frashëri was named “Hope” and the groups had the names of the virtues like peace, goodness, thankfulness, respect, faithfulness, forgivness, love etc.
   It was the second time that the Orthodox Autocephalus Church of Albania organized a camp in this school. In the same time we organized another camp with the children of the school in Begaj, which was named “Friendship”. Through this camp a new friendship started  with the habitants of Begaj, with the teachers of this school and of course with the children. The days of the camp were filled with entertaning games, songs, arts and crafts, small group discusions, development of talents, olympic games, etc.  The camp concluded with a celebration. The children, led by their leaders, had prepared in their groups a short program with songs, dances, sketch (humor) and performed for their teachers, parents and friends. 
 After the celebration with 700 children that participated in our camps, we had a celebration with our collaborators. We invited them to dinner to express our gratitude. In the evening, our leader Mr. Nathan Hoppe, expressed our gratitude for the hospitality and cooperation that we had with the director and the professors of the schools.
Then the director of the school, Mr. Ali Bushala, expressed the gratitude on behalf of the children, parents and the professors of these schools and he gave us a certificate of appreciation for our collaboration, ongoing friendship and the help offered in their schools. He invited us for another collaboration for the coming year.
   The two next days, we traveled towared Prishtina, where we visited the monasteries of Gracenica, Pec and Decani. After a long journey on the 24-th of June, we returned to conclude in the place where we began, the Monastery of Saint Vlash.

Gabriela Bezhani