Those were such hard times. Before my dad died, he was so sick and he was constantly worried – not just about his health, but also about the powerlessness of his family to pay for his treatment and all our other needs. My mother was unemployed, and after he died, she felt such a loss. I lost my father at the age when I needed him most – I needed him as a role model.
I started to have hope for my future once we started getting supported by Mission Without Borders. I began to study harder and learn more throughout high school. I really wanted a higher education – and my mother wanted to support me. But it seemed like an impossibility because of our lack of finances. But the Mission gave us an opportunity of a scholarship. I no longer felt hopeless. I was finding my compass in life.
I’m studying Navigation at the University of Durres. This was the profession of my dad and I’m very pleased to be following in his footsteps. When I was a child he always said to me that it was so important to learn and to invest in education, as it’s the only tool to succeed in life. The future seems bright. I would like to be a great captain and a specialist in navigation like my father was.
Denis, a scholarship student from Durres, Albania
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