One in eight young people seeking asylum in the UK are from the impoverished Balkan state of Albania. There is little to do in Skenderbeu, a remote town in the mountains where jobs are few and poverty rife. Edison sees only one way out: ‘I want to go to England for a better life. I’ll do any work. My brother and my friends have already gone. I’m jealous. This is my dream.’ His brother left the town four years ago, one of hundreds of boys from this region - some as young as thirteen - whose families pay thousands of pounds to people-smugglers to take them to Britain. Every family seems to have at least one relative in London, many of whom end up working illegally on building sites or in car washes. The little town survives on money sent from Britain. Officials estimate youth unemployment in Albania could be as high at 80%.
Britain and Albania’s children
Written by David Fletcher 26 May 2017Additional Info
- Pray: for support for those entering the UK, fleeing poverty. Pray also for wisdom for governments and policy-makers in the midst of the ongoing refugee crisis. (Psalm 140:12)
- More: www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/albanias-children-in-exodus-to-britain-gjthfjcgf