Whilst preparing to celebrate Independence Day and Liberation Day, Albania woke up shocked on Tuesday morning, November 26th when a 6.4 magnitude quake struck. The earthquake epicentre was in the Adriatic Sea and shook the whole country. 98 people were stuck under the ruins, of which 47 were rescued alive by the emergency forces who arrived in the early hours after the quake, whereas 51 people unfortunately couldn’t make it. Approximately 900 the injured. Durrës, Tirana and Lezha were the most struck districts. Buildings, houses and services are still being inspected to assess the exact level of damages.

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light" according to an old saying. In these days of darkness, Albania was not alone. Solidarity poured in from all sides. Flags of nations in the uniforms of first aid teams from neighboring countries and from friendly countries in Europe and beyond, came together with the Albanian flag in a battle for life. Messages of solidarity from football matches and cultural activities came from all around the globe like rays of hope for all Albanians.

Recovery will not be easy, but together we shall succeed. This natural disaster can be transformed into an opportunity, a chance to fix what has been done wrong so far and think of development in terms of where we want to be, not to where we were. For a long time the quake of November 26th will remain in our memory as an event that struck us, shook us, damaged us, but did not destroy our strength, will and faith that together we can get rise up again. Together we can do it!