You might think that we are some kind of developer that restores historical buildings in areas hit by war and natural disaster. We would say that we are experts in human rights, reconciliation and poverty reduction. We restore cultural heritage and help to build futures.
As we see it, there is a clear link between restoring a building and building up human relations, trust, economies, societies – and indeed nations. A building is more than just bricks and mortar. It is also a link to the past and part of people’s history, security and identity.
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A link to the past and a door into the future – knowing where you come from makes it easier to decide which path to take next. We promote cultural heritage as an engine for local and regional development that also attract tourists. That is one result. Another is the relations that are built up during the work. The emergence of a “we” in the discussion over who makes the decisions about a particular place and how that place should be used.
Every project is a potential democratization process that offers countless opportunities to bridge conflicts, promote trust between former enemies and work on social and economic development.
Setting up a workforce of men and women from different ethnic or religious backgrounds means that people who would never otherwise have interacted, have a chance to meet. They gain an opportunity to get to know each other, trust each other and build something together.
Using local craftsmen provides an opportunity to use and develop traditional working methods that are often good for the environment and create jobs. A builder has to be sourced for a restoration. If this is done in open competition, it automatically provides a chance to discuss issues of corruption and how corruption can be combated. Once the restoration is complete, the building needs to be protected by laws that also need to be harmonized with legislation in other countries.
This in turn creates a need for a functioning administration. At a local level, the restoration has to be incorporated into a development plan, which prompts an open discussion on local development as a whole – a discussion that can strengthen trust between people and confidence in institutions.
Our job is to get these processes started. Our goal is for our partners to finish them. Which takes time: demolishing history is quick, but building trust, democracy and a future is often a laborious process.
But it can be done.
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CHwB Albania is mainly supported by Sweden, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Sida is a government organization under the Swedish Foreign Ministry and administers half of Sweden’s budget for development aid. http://www.sida.se
The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation AFCP) is one of many programs run by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as part of its mission of public diplomacy through educational and cultural programming and exchange. The AFCP supports a wide range of projects to preserve cultural heritage, such as the restoration of historic buildings, archaeological site preservation, assessment and conservation of museum collections, improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts, and the documentation of vanishing indigenous languages. https://eca.state.gov/cultural-heritage-center/ambassadors-fund-cultural-preservation
The U.S. Embassy in Tirana protects and promotes U.S. interests and develops relations with the Republic of Albania through contact with the Albanian Government, as well as with the country’s business, labor, media, civic, academic, military, education, and arts and culture communities, as well as its people in general. https://al.usembassy.gov/
AADF’s mission is to facilitate the development of a sustainable private sector economy and a democratic society in Albania, and to contribute to stability in Southeastern Europe. The AADF sponsors different programs to further its mission: education for sustainable development; entrepreneurship; leadership development; and support for cultural tourism and eco-tourism. In October, 2015 CHwB Albania and AADF signed an agreement that has enabled the Camps to expand to new locations in Albania, as well as to enrich their thematic scope. http://www.aadf.org
Based on the principle that culture is a basic need, the Prince Claus Fund’s mission is to actively seek cultural collaborations founded on equality and trust, with partners of excellence, in spaces where resources and opportunities for cultural expression, creative production and research are limited and cultural heritage is threatened. The Prince Claus Fund is based in Amsterdam and is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Postcode Lottery. http://www.princeclausfund.org/
The Ministry of Economics, Energy, Transport and Regional Development is founded on a politics of sustainably ensuring Hessen’s wealth, based on well-balanced economic development and a sensible ecological approach. https://english.hessen.de/
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) draws on a wealth of regional and technical expertise and tried and tested management know-how to deliver development-related services worldwide. As a federal enterprise, it supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. http://www.giz.de/
A grant from the German Embassy in Tirana funded CHwB’s project to conserve the Paleochristian mosaic in Antigonea, southern Albania. http://www.tirana.diplo.de/
The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation. It advocates freedom of expression and of the media, freedom of assembly, equality, and the protection of minorities. https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal
The European Union is a group of 27 countries in Europe.All countries that are part of the European Union work together to make sure that there is peace in Europe, people have good lives, things are fair for all people and nobody is left out, the languages and cultures of all people are respected, there is a strong European economy and countries use the same coin to do business together. THE EU funded some of the most important projects of CHwB. http://europa.eu/
The Foundation promotes and supports people and organizations who face the challenges of our times. We support and connect risktakers from the areas of civil society, environmental protection, and arts and culture – everyone who dares to test new societal models of living together beyond the beaten path.
ALIPH is created in March 2017.It is a unique international cooperation initiative designed to meet the challenge of protecting cultural heritage in conflict and post conflict areas. http://www.aliph-foundation.org
Founded in 1999, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC or “the Coalition”) is the only worldwide network of Sites of Conscience. With over 350 members in more than 65 countries, we build the capacity of these vital institutions through grants, networking, training, transitional justice mechanisms, and advocacy. These members and partners remember a variety of histories and come from a wide range of settings – including long-standing democracies, countries struggling with legacies of violence, as well as post-conflict contexts just beginning to address their transitional justice needs – but they are all united by their common commitment to use the lessons of the past to find innovative solutions to related social justice issues today. https://www.sitesofconscience.org/
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). SDC has supported a CHwB project working with wool and cloth producers in southern Albania. http://www.sdc.admin.ch/
Trustees consider and support projects and initiatives in specific areas. Some of this areas are: conservation and recording of heritage; raising awareness of heritage issues; supporting the capacity of new heritage NGOs; training the next generation of conservation and heritage professionals; engaging young people in their heritage. Headley Trust supported CHwB Albania`s work with heritage interpretation on several levels. https://www.sfct.org.uk/Headley.html
In 2011 the EU Heads of State and Government called on the European Commission to bring together all of the previous EU’s research and innovation funding under a single common strategic framework. The Commission launched a wide-ranging consultation involving all key stakeholders which has led to Horizon 2020. https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/
The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience is a worldwide network of “Sites of Conscience” – historic sites, memorials, museums and initiatives that activate the power of places of memory to engage the public with a deeper understanding of the past and inspire action to shape a just future.
The Balkan Museum Network’s mission is to maintain, share and spread the common heritage of the Western Balkans.
Sites of Heritage is a network that consists of civil society organizations from South East Europe. The network was established in 2006 and its main task is to protect and promote common cultural heritage within this region.
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