Arbër Hajdari has helped thousands of Albanian families escape poverty. Five years ago he set up the humanitarian organization Fundjavë Ndryshe to fight hardship in Albania. Now, around 12,000 volunteers work for the group.

“If I may, I’d like to give two tips to young people who want to set up a relief organization: The most important one is transparency! And the second piece of advice is to stay away from politics!” says Arbër Hajdari, the founder of the Albanian humanitarian organization Fundjavë Ndryshe. Five years ago, Hajdari, then a law student, decided to spend each weekend helping poor people in his homeland, Albania. “It’s crazy,” says Arbër, “we see this poverty all over our country, but we’ve somehow managed to be blind to it. I didn’t want that anymore.” Now some 12,000 volunteers work for Fundjavë Ndryshe, which operates every day of the week. The Albanian government has let them have a former tank base to use as their headquarters. The heart of the organization is the main telephone exchange. This is where people in extreme suffering call for help. After her husband died, Idvana and her daughter were thrown out of their house by his family. They now live in a cow shed infested with rats and snakes. Four-year-old Ameli is too afraid to sleep there. This documentary follows Arbër as he prioritizes the case. Arbër may have helped thousands like Idvana, but there’s still plenty to do. Around 40% of Albanians live on less than five euros per day.

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