About Us
Ancora International brings hope & support to people in need.
Our Mission
Ancora Int. exists to bring hope to the suffering children, to strengthen families, to be an anchor for the youth and a shelter for the widows and orphans and the needy throughout the Balkan region and Southeastern Europe.
About This Program
The main goal of Ancora International Foundation is to help build a healthy society through acts of serving and through promoting social cohesion and solidarity to individuals and families in social, physical, and emotional needs.
Core Values
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Transformation through a spiritual, social, economic & material support
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Empowerment through our programs for children & families
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Collaboration through partnering with the local communities & individuals
How Ancora Started
Ancora started its activity between the Roma and Egyptian community, among the families with great social and economic problems. We saw the great need of the children who went out on the streets and beg or work to provide daily food for their family, their parents had not an active parental role and many children died because of different diseases due to the lack of medical assistance.
So we decided to visit these families and get to know their daily concerns. We started to feed the children with one nutritious meal a day and we aimed to strengthen their families, to help these children have a normal life like any other child in their age. Day by day, we got to know more about their life, their habits and their dreams for the future. We say that many of them were so talented, but never had the opportunity to go to school and get a good education. Many of them wanted to work and provide for their families, but they were not accepted in society.
We created different programs, which serve the great purpose to help change their life and build their future!
Sibela is a little girl from the Roma community. She is 9 years old and she lives with her family in a hut by the riverside. Her parents have been in jail for a long time. During that time, her oldest sister was taking care of her brothers and sisters.
Eva is a teenage girl from Roma community. Eva is one of the first girls that became part of our program.
Erjona is a little girl who lives with her family in the Roma community. She is 10 years old. Her family lives in deep poverty. Her father collects cans on the street to provide food for his family. The living conditions in their hut are terrible.
Entela is a girl from the Roma community. Her mother abandoned her family when she was a little girl. So, her father married another woman and now she lives with them and her brothers and sisters. They are extremely poor. Entela has to collect cans from the garbage bins every day and she begs on the streets to provide money for her family. She loves to go to school and to learn how to read and write. Because of the poverty and since she is the oldest sister in her family and doesn’t have her own mother, she never had the privilege to go to school.
Almir is a teenage boy part of the Butterfly project. He likes to go to school. He lives with his parents and five brothers. His family is very poor and they live in very difficult conditions. In his home, only his father works and provides for the family. He lives in a house which it is not very comfortable for many children.
Ernest is a little boy years old boy from Roma Community. His family is very poor. When Ernest first came in our program, he was shy and didn’t talk to anyone or play with other kids. His mother told us that when he was 3 years old, he was diagnosed with a heart disease and because of the disease he has this attitude. Our team took care of him, to help Ernest get involved in what we were doing. Now Ernest is more friendly, active, plays with other kids, answers when we ask him questions. Sometimes he takes care for the younger kids. His mother has noticed the change in his attitude and is so happy and thankful to us.
Denisa is a little girl from Roma community. She lives with her parents and 5 siblings in a barrack by the riverside. They are very poor, so they have to bag or collect iron and cans from the garbage bin, to provide food for their family.
Kristian is a little boy from Roma community. He is a teenage now and he lives with his grandmother in terrible conditions, in a barrack by the riverside. Kristian is part of the Butterfly program since 2018.
Dafina is a teenage girl from Roma community. She lives with her parents and two younger sisters. They came regularly to our Butterfly meetings.
Landi is one of the children of the community. His family live in terrible conditions by the riverside. Since he was a little child he always came to our meetings and invited also his brothers and his mother. His father has passed away years ago and Landi misses him a lot.
Albana is a teenager girl from Roma community. She lives with her uncle, 2 brothers, a younger sister and her mother. Her father died some years ago. Her brothers and her mother have mental disorders. Her uncle is alcoholic and violent. They live in terrible conditions in a barrack by the riverside. So Albana and all her family beg every day on the streets to provide food. Albana comes regularly in the Butterfly meeting. We have been helping her family with food and clothes.
Genta is one of the first child who came to our meetings and now she comes regularly to Butterfly project. She is a smart girl. At first, her parents did not want to let Genta and her sister to go to the summer camp because of the mindset that they have in this community. Girls do not have much freedom. After they turn 9 years old, they are supposed to get married. After insisting and showing great results, her parents allowed her to come to the summer camp. She enjoyed a lot being at the camp and she was filled with love and joy. Now Genta is a teenager girl who attends school regularly and she is a big support for our team in serving the community.
Marjeta is a little girl from Roma community. She is 9 years old and she lives with her family in a barrack near the river. Her family is one of the poorest family of Roma community. Marjeta loves Jesus with all her heart. She comes regularly to our Butterfly program. Marjeta has been encouraging her brothers and sisters to pray together. We can testify for a transformation in the life of Marjeta and her family. The behave of her father has totally changed after he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He has found a stable job and he is providing for his family. We see joy and hope in the eyes of Marjeta. They are thankful to the Lord and to us for standing near them in their hard times. Praise God for working in marvelous ways in Marjeta and her family life.
Denis is one of our Butterfly kids. He is the oldest son in his family and even though he is just 11 years old, he has to work together with his father to collect plastic and metal materials in the garbage bins. The little boy is sacrificing his childhood to provide food for his family. This heavy responsibility that he is holding on his shoulder made him a rebel child with an aggressive attitude. The love of God has touched him and with time passing, his attitude is changing. One day, while he was selecting the materials that he collected in the garbage bins, an explosive substance exploded in front of his face. His parents took him to the hospital, where he had a difficult surgery in his left eye.