This was Lucy's second trip to the orphanage, where she worked as a volunteer. The orphanage has been taken over by Salisbury-based charity 'Hope and Homes for Children', and cares for 40 children, ranging in age from 2 months to 5 years.

"Most of the children have been abandoned at birth, and are considered the lowest of the low. Even amongst some of the staff, there was prejudice, and a real need to change their practices. The children often did not receive the attention and stimulation that they needed," says Lucy.

Lucy worked with another British volunteer to help look after the children, and train local staff in childcare and development. There were many problems to overcome, not least the language, since none of the local staff spoke English. But as time progressed they saw the quality of care improve.

"One of the children was thought to be deaf, as she didn't respond when her name was called. But it turned out that she was simply not used to hearing her name, and did not know what she was called."

Many of the children will be adopted, but for those who are not, the charity is trying to set up 'small family homes'. These will house up to 8 children, where they will be able to stay up to age 16, without being moved or separated from siblings and friends.

Kosovan Refugees

The orphanage is situated in Albania's main port, Durres, about an hour's drive from the capital Tirana. When Lucy arrived there in mid-April, there were already 20,000 refugees from Kosovo. This number rapidly grew to 80,000 as people flooded in.

Through the local church that she was attending, Lucy got involved in distributing food and clothing, and heard first-hand what people had suffered.

"Many people had arrived with nothing, not even shoes. Their possessions and documents had been taken at the border, and many of the men had been led away. Even babies had been strip-searched to make sure that nothing was hidden in their clothing."

"Some of the refugees wanted to talk, especially those with good English, and hearing their stories really affected me. I went back to see one family again and again, and developed a warm relationship with them. But the last time I saw them was different; conversation was strained and they were obviously very tense. They were about to return to Kosovo, and had no idea what to expect. But they wanted to get back quickly to ensure no-one else took their house."

The relationships that have been built up will continue, as the local churches continue to send aid into Kosovo and help people try to rebuild their homes and lives.