Everyone always asks: How are you guys ended up in Albania.
Below the story of the Family Wesselingh.

The story begins 17 years ago when the mother of Helene in 1992 after the communism fell down, together with her friend Anneke, went to Albania. As two development workers they had been invited to pick up a little girl to get an operation in the Netherlands. Her name is Vosjawa and walking through the slum, where she then lived, she accidentally grabbed a grenade hurled around the ground. In one seconds time she lost her left arm, and she sees nothing at all. Arrived in the Netherlands she gets a nice arm- prosthesis and they operated her both eyes. The ophthalmologist is not positive and give the bad news to Vosjawa that she is virtually blind. We, Helene and Dick, have no children at that time, become good friends with Vosjawa, and decide to take holidays and bring her back to Albania. What we find is etched on our retinas. Grinding poverty, see no trees, and starving people. Even the bread was then, in the capital Tirana, sold through the bars.

At home in the Netherlands we have established a foundation www.doeietsgoeds.nl, and got to work with numerous small scale development projects in the municipality Bushat. After 18 years Albania has made enormous progress in development. Tirana is now a fun and busy Western city. Roads are paved and restored and Albania would like to be a member off the European Union. Next year we live 6 years as a Dutch family in Albania. Many people find it strange, but we are somehow so attached and affected to the country with its friendly people. We are also grown with the entire development of the country after the fall of communism. And this was, and still is a wonderful process to see. Of course it was initially 'back to basics "but you learn to appreciate things in life again. The first years we had only two hours electricity a day, and sometimes days or one weeks at all. When the electricity came back we began to cheer very hard with our children. Games by candlelight and woodstove to keep you warm. We were most touched and still, by the incredible generosity of the Albanian population. We have visited many countries, but the Albanian people are unique in there doings. A certain respectful way of dealing with each other is something that in many countries has been forgotten. You're always welcome to everyone; people are actually genuinely interested in each other. Family life plays an important role in the Albanian society. Children also take care of the parents when they are old. This has the disadvantage that for elderly without family stays without any care. For this group of people we have built a retirement home/hospice that is standing behind our house. The camping has been there because there is proved there is such a need. Many Dutch knocked us to the past five years for a night spot that we more or less "forced" to make a camping. For 2010 the camping will be bigger.

Besides camping and development, Helene still develops websites, writes columns for a Dutch magazine, and Dick is a consultant.
Because a lot of people and companies are more and more interested to invest in Albania.

Oh yes, Vosjawa with the girl, now woman, with whom it all started so we were in Albania, we have still close contact. Weekly we call, we celebrate Christmas together, and she comes regularly, with her sister Diana, who take care of her, to stay overnight in Barbullush. And then we get together memories of a time that she as a little girl came to the Netherlands, after a very traumatic experience in her young life. And we think back to the day we went with her back to the land of the Son of the Eagles, which still so little known. But this country has become our home, and we are more than happy and grateful.