Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TIRANA617
2008-08-11 14:29:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tirana
Cable title:
VLORE ANTI-TRAFFICKING NGO TO STAY OPEN AFTER FUNDING PULLS
how-toVZCZCXRO7922 RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHTI #0617 2241429 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 111429Z AUG 08 FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7348 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS TIRANA 000617
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE; G/TIP
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AL
SUBJECT: VLORE ANTI-TRAFFICKING NGO TO STAY OPEN AFTER FUNDING PULLS
THROUGH
UNCLAS TIRANA 000617
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE; G/TIP
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AL
SUBJECT: VLORE ANTI-TRAFFICKING NGO TO STAY OPEN AFTER FUNDING PULLS
THROUGH
1. SUMMARY: On July 11 PolOff and the USAID Anti-Trafficking
Advisor met with staff from the Vatra Shelter, one of the oldest
anti-trafficking NGOs in Albania. Vatra is one of four
non-governmental reintegration shelters which provides a package of
social services to repatriated victims of trafficking. The Vatra
shelter, like other anti-trafficking NGOs, has come under
increasingly difficult times as foreign donors are reducing
financial support for anti-trafficking projects, and the Albanian
government has not yet assumed responsibility for these structures.
Post is concerned about keeping foreign donors engaged until the
Government of Albania becomes appropriately engaged in the fight
against human trafficking. (Note: Albania fell to Tier II Watch
List in ths year's Trafficking in Persons Report.) END SUMMARY.
--------------
FUNDING UNCERTAINTY
--------------
2. Vatra was started in 1999 by former military officer, Vera
Lesko, in order to address the increasing phenomenon of human
trafficking through and from Albania. She realized that trafficking
was becoming a serious problem in Albania and started the center to
respond to the lack of social services available to returned
victims. During the most recent visit to the shelter, the Deputy
Director of Vatra gave Embassy representatives an overview of the
shelter, services provided to returned victims, and described
cutbacks in services that the shelter has had to make due to
decreasing support from donors and the Albanian government. Vatra
receives approximately 45 percent of their funding from Norwegian
Church Aid (NCA),with additional funding from USAID and the Swedish
MFA (through Kvinna til Kvinna). This year, however, the Norwegian
MFA, which provides funding to NCA, closed out their program in
Albania without informing local partners. As a result NCA was
uncertain if they could renew their funding to Vatra, leaving the
NGO in an unexpected funding crisis.
3. Vatra's funding and support problems started in late 2006 when
the three Albanian State Police (ASP) officers who guarded the
shelter were pulled from their positions because the ASP felt that
protecting the shelter was not an effective use of state resources.
For the past year and a half the shelter has been struggling to find
the funds to employ a private security officer to protect the
shelter residents. In the spring of this year, a grant from an
international donor providing legal services to the victims came to
an end, leaving victims dependent on the legal services of already
overburdened and under-qualified state prosecutors. In late spring,
when it appeared that NCA funding would not be renewed, Vatra sought
funding from the GOA and several foreign donors and also made
contingency plans to close down in September 2008.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
4. Vatra's financial woes are representative of a wider problem of
a trend of foreign donors pulling out of projects throughout
Albania. Waning foreign donor support is becoming a great concern
to NGOs that rely more on outside support than they do on their own
government. Moreover, the problem is exacerbated by the GOA's lack
of commitment and continued denial that there remains a serious
problem with trafficking in Albania. This year, Vatra was lucky. At
the end of July, and just one month shy of shutting the shelter, the
Norwegian funding came through. It is expected that because the
Norweigan MFA planned to pull all funding from Albania this year,
that this will be the last year they will fund anti-trafficking
projects. On August 11, Foreign Minister Basha told visiting
EUR/SCE Director Jason Hyland that the GOA will soon begin funding
all four trafficking shelters in Albania. Although this is
certainly a very welcome announcement, Post will continue to
follow-up with the MFA to make sure that adequate funding from the
GOA begins quickly.
WITHERS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE; G/TIP
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AL
SUBJECT: VLORE ANTI-TRAFFICKING NGO TO STAY OPEN AFTER FUNDING PULLS
THROUGH
1. SUMMARY: On July 11 PolOff and the USAID Anti-Trafficking
Advisor met with staff from the Vatra Shelter, one of the oldest
anti-trafficking NGOs in Albania. Vatra is one of four
non-governmental reintegration shelters which provides a package of
social services to repatriated victims of trafficking. The Vatra
shelter, like other anti-trafficking NGOs, has come under
increasingly difficult times as foreign donors are reducing
financial support for anti-trafficking projects, and the Albanian
government has not yet assumed responsibility for these structures.
Post is concerned about keeping foreign donors engaged until the
Government of Albania becomes appropriately engaged in the fight
against human trafficking. (Note: Albania fell to Tier II Watch
List in ths year's Trafficking in Persons Report.) END SUMMARY.
--------------
FUNDING UNCERTAINTY
--------------
2. Vatra was started in 1999 by former military officer, Vera
Lesko, in order to address the increasing phenomenon of human
trafficking through and from Albania. She realized that trafficking
was becoming a serious problem in Albania and started the center to
respond to the lack of social services available to returned
victims. During the most recent visit to the shelter, the Deputy
Director of Vatra gave Embassy representatives an overview of the
shelter, services provided to returned victims, and described
cutbacks in services that the shelter has had to make due to
decreasing support from donors and the Albanian government. Vatra
receives approximately 45 percent of their funding from Norwegian
Church Aid (NCA),with additional funding from USAID and the Swedish
MFA (through Kvinna til Kvinna). This year, however, the Norwegian
MFA, which provides funding to NCA, closed out their program in
Albania without informing local partners. As a result NCA was
uncertain if they could renew their funding to Vatra, leaving the
NGO in an unexpected funding crisis.
3. Vatra's funding and support problems started in late 2006 when
the three Albanian State Police (ASP) officers who guarded the
shelter were pulled from their positions because the ASP felt that
protecting the shelter was not an effective use of state resources.
For the past year and a half the shelter has been struggling to find
the funds to employ a private security officer to protect the
shelter residents. In the spring of this year, a grant from an
international donor providing legal services to the victims came to
an end, leaving victims dependent on the legal services of already
overburdened and under-qualified state prosecutors. In late spring,
when it appeared that NCA funding would not be renewed, Vatra sought
funding from the GOA and several foreign donors and also made
contingency plans to close down in September 2008.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
4. Vatra's financial woes are representative of a wider problem of
a trend of foreign donors pulling out of projects throughout
Albania. Waning foreign donor support is becoming a great concern
to NGOs that rely more on outside support than they do on their own
government. Moreover, the problem is exacerbated by the GOA's lack
of commitment and continued denial that there remains a serious
problem with trafficking in Albania. This year, Vatra was lucky. At
the end of July, and just one month shy of shutting the shelter, the
Norwegian funding came through. It is expected that because the
Norweigan MFA planned to pull all funding from Albania this year,
that this will be the last year they will fund anti-trafficking
projects. On August 11, Foreign Minister Basha told visiting
EUR/SCE Director Jason Hyland that the GOA will soon begin funding
all four trafficking shelters in Albania. Although this is
certainly a very welcome announcement, Post will continue to
follow-up with the MFA to make sure that adequate funding from the
GOA begins quickly.
WITHERS