My Story

Hello! My name is Redis Bufi and I am from Proptisht, Albania. I am a 14 year old boy and my birthday is on October 23^rd. I am doing well and enjoy good health. My favorite color is blue and my dream is to be a mechanic and fix vehicles and cars. I have completed the 9^th grade at school and received the premature evaluation certificate from my teacher and was pleased with my grades. My favorite subject at school is physic and in this subject I have received the highest mark. We will be off from school till September 15^th. I will start on September the first grade of high school in my village and this will be a new experience for me. There I will meet with new friends as well as with a new staff of teachers. I will spend the summer at home. My family can’t offer to go for holidays and I will spend these weeks with my close friends that I have here. We gather everyday and play football at the school field of our village. During the evenings, we also like to gather in the centre of the village to chat for a while. I am also helping my family as I am now freed from studying the school lessons. I help my parents as they work in the fields, feed the animals or collect fruits.

My family and I live in the village of Proptisht. This is the season in which we collect cherries and water the vegetables in the gardens. In the gardens the ladies plant beans, anions, peppers, tomatoes, etc, On July we will have the harvest time therefore we all need to work hard in order to bring the wheat from the fields to our home after being harvested. We grind the wheat to flour so we can have enough food provision for a whole year through. My mother, same as all other ladies in the village bakes the bread at home. She also bakes pies filled with vegetables and cooks beans to serve to us in our meals. Most of the families in my village deal with agriculture and raise animals as cows and sheep. They also keep a few hens and chickens to provide at least a few eggs to consume in the mornings. On this season we gather the straw and alfalfa and pile it up and in this way, we provide from our lands the livestock needed for our cows, sheep and donkeys. Keeping a cow, we benefit milk, butter and other products to consume daily and once a year, selling a calf my parents earn a bit more of income. In a few months time we will have the plums and apples ripen and we will start to collect these fruits. My mother usually makes composts or jam from the plums and apples. My father boils and steams plums to have a few litters of raki (alcoholic brand served to guests in Albania) My family and I live in poverty because we can’t provide a lot to consume from our land products or by raising animals therefore my father is emigrating and working in Greece. He goes there for three months within the year and usually works in agriculture. He earns a better income working there and is able to provide for us a bit more to make the living and cover what we need the most as far as providing new clothes or more food.

My father’s name is Ardian and my mother’s name is Limona. I have a brother whose name is Eridjol. He is 11 years old and completed the 5^th grade at school. We both go to the same school and also frequent the activities of the LWI church in Proptisht. On Mondays we have the church service and on Wednesdays we have Bible classes. I am blessed once a month with a food package from Adopt a Child and pray that the Lord will bless all who care for me. God bless you!

Translated by Martin Rucolli

Adopt a Child Albania