Polish Aid supports professional training of the first Albanian Volunteer Mountain Search & Rescue Team
08.03.2023
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tirana, in close cooperation with the Nacional Agency of Civil Protection and Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue (Polish: Tatrzańskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe – “TOPR”), a mountain rescue organization in Poland, have successfully implemented yet another project co-financed within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
The goal of the “Polish Aid” project entitled “Albanian Volunteer Mountain Search & Rescue Team” was to increase the skills of the selected Albanian mountain rescue volunteers from all over Albania through a weekly special training course under the supervision of TOPR’s instructors. The mountain drill, which consisted of practical abilities including climbing, lifesaving, first aid, as well as team building, took place from 4th to 9th of December 2022 in Zakopane, the winter capital of Poland.
The vision behind the project was the Polish Aid motto: “In the past, we were helped; today we support others because Polish Aid has power”. Hence the aim was to inspire and encourage Albanian mountain enthusiasts, who already exhibit some knowledge in rescue missions, to set up a first Albanian Volunteer Search & Rescue Organization, modelled on Polish “Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue”, one of the oldest such associations in the world. TOPR instructors will visit Albania in 2023 to continue the special training course for mountain rescue volunteers on the trails of the Albanian Alps.
