Do you ever feel that you are saving the world? This was me this week – in Tirana first and Ljubljana later. I felt I was the reincarnation of mother Teresa back to save her people.
Albania suffers from the worst reputation in Europe. Known for its lawlessness, Albania is the European hub for people trafficking, drug smuggling, and any other form of gangsterism you can think of. Albanians told me they were unlucky to have been colonised by the Italians. The government here is seen as weak and corrupt (last month the Culture Minister was sacked after offering an undercover journalist a job in exchange for sex), while the mafia is very strong (every second car is a Mercedes with blacked-out windows).
But the place has more to offer than crime. To our great suprise, both events went extremely well. The conference was probably our most successdul. In fact, the conference was probably our most successful international conference ever! The topic was the relationship between government and the third sector, and it was the first time such a debate had been had here. We also presented research in to the challenges facing Albanian civil society, the first of its kind. It was the first ever report on civil society in the country!
The British Ambassador hosted a reception at his residence, and then spoke glowingly about Euclid Network at the conference (his speech was later shown in full on national TV).
From Tirana we flew to our last leg: Ljubljana. The Slovenian association of Third Sector Managers was launched. Everything went smoothly with a low profile….in a perfectly Slovenian way.
This is the third third sector professional body – after Nigeria and Italy – we have instigated. Once is luck, twice is a coincidence, three times is evidence!
The job is done. Now I can take Benny home hoping he will recover from the Balkans fever. Madre Teresa will assist. I expect him to reproduce soon and give me the next generation of interns!
