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| 2 of the Afghan women in their rented restaurant in Shengjin: Mariam and Paisal |
Four Afghan women - three of whom sisters, who were evacuated from Afghanistan to Albania after the fall of Kabul, are the youngest entrepreneurs in the Shengjin town culinary sector, where they say they have found a warm welcome.
Among the many businesses in the coastal town of Shengjin is a restaurant that is managed by 4 Afghan women. After being evacuated from the country after the fall of Kabul and accommodated in Shengjin in September 2020, three Afghan sisters did not stand idly by, but took the initiative and set up a restaurant on the first line of the coast. They have been running the business for more than two months, and realizing something like this has not been easy for them at all.
"We were evacuated from Afghanistan in September 2020 and they brought us and sheltered us here in Shengjin," recalls Mariam, one of the three entrepreneurial sisters. Over the weeks we thought of getting a job or starting a business here in Shengjin. We got together with our sisters and a friend from Afghanistan and found a room on the first line of the coast near the resort where we were accommodated. We met the landlord and agreed to rent. We immediately started the work and set up the restaurant, which we have been operating for more than two months,” says Mariam to local media, one of the managers of the restaurant.
The customers of this restaurant are mainly Afghans, but there are also locals and Kosovo Albanians who frequent Shengjin en masse.
"We are four girls who manage the restaurant, three of us are sisters. Our customers are mostly Afghans, as they lack Afghan food. But we also have Albanian clients, from Kosovo, but also foreigners. They like our food because is cheap, it gives us the heart to move forward," adds Mariam.
Tehy appreciates the Albanian hospitality, which is giving them the courage to walk in the business they have set up.
"Everyone behaves well and smiles at us, no one has behaved inappropriately towards us. The restaurants only cook seafood and we have not had the opportunity to try traditional dishes. In Lezha we tried the croissant and we found it interesting," said Walwala, the other manager of the restaurant
Since the beginning of September, about 2,000 Afghan nationals have been sheltered in the Shengjin tourist area, who fled their country after the occupation of Kabul by Taliban militants. Afghan refugees in Shengjin have adapted to a new life very quickly.
Paisal, an engineer by profession, is another employee in the tourist area of Shengjin. After learning the language a bit, he became part of a construction company and says that he feels quite comfortable with the job that has been offered to him.
"I have been coming to Shengjin since October. We were very well received and I settled in very quickly. Over time, I started learning the language a bit, as I intended to be employed for as long as we stay in Shengjin. I am an engineer by profession and I have been employed in a construction company for 1 month. I am very happy with the work and I am very dedicated to it. "I have found cooperation and a lot of support from colleagues and I am doing very well," said Paisal.
Paisal tells that he still has half his family in Afghanistan and his mind stays there, while he sees the future in the United States of America and in Kanda, as promised.
"I have half of my family in Afghanistan because they can not leave. I have in mind there that they are going through a difficult situation since the Taliban occupation. I am in contact with them every day and I look forward to joining as soon as possible. I do not see the future in Albania, but as long as I am here I will try to work a little. As you know we have been promised to take us to America or Canada and we are in the process of documenting. Every day our compatriots are leaving here from Shengjin and we hope that we will leave by spring", adds Paisal
The Municipality of Lezha is also committed to supporting and integrating Afghan refugees. Mayor Pjerin Ndreu has held regular meetings with their representatives and in cooperation with various organizations has been engaged to come to their aid for the needs they may have.
"We held a meeting in the last few days with them and exchanged ideas for integration in the respective fields according to their formation, as well as we shared issues that concern them and agreed on continuous communication. I thank them for the integrity and positivity at the high level they have shown so far, with an exemplary approach and demeanor. I immediately contacted NGOs to unify my relationship with the refugees and come to their aid together. We have unanimously agreed that the coordination for the aid will be done by the Municipality and all the NGOs will be invested according to the possibilities they have", Ndreu said.
The Afghan refugees, who arrive in Albania in September, have settled in the premises of Rafaelo Resort, which is located on the first line of the beach in the center of Shengjin. The resort is kept under constant monitoring by the police to ensure their safety, while it stays on standby 24 hours a day and medical staff comes to aid for any problem they may have.
Some of them have been provided with American or Canadian visas and have started to leave Albania and others are waiting to leave.