For years the list of debts of the poor in Albanian neighborhood shops has been a painful reality. But if you ask today Zoje Ismaili, owner of a small shop on the outskirts of Tirana, she puts her hands on her head.
Some say they are unemployed, others say they do not have an income at the end of the month, so the woman is forced to give the food items for free only by putting their name on the debts’ list.
“They are from the neighborhood, the notebook is as old as I am. They take sugar, rice, oil, eggs, flour. They have this method that they take, take, they say we will bring it back, but then they disappear “, says Zoje Ismaili.
Dylberi as well, a fruit and vegetable seller in Kamza, says that with the rise in prices, the list of debtors has increased. “In these 2-3 months have started a lot of problems, we are giving more items by the list. They say they’ll give it back when I receive the pension, when they receive the social assistance “.
The list of debts at the moment has reached the figure of 20 thousand ALL, a sign that also the one who gives the debt is impoverished.
“The needy are unemployed, they get the cheapest goods because they want to eat where they can find them cheaper,” he says.
The only consolation of those who live in Kamza, is that with rising prices, everyone is feeling equal, in their poverty. “There are as many as you want who come, we give them only little, we have given them before and they did not bring back the money. We have allowed up to 1-2 thousand ALL. They take potatoes, onions, tomatoes. Yes, we have a list, we mark them here. They bring some of them, they are very needy “.
Kamza is the first station that welcomes newcomers from the north to Tirana, for three decades. But today it is the largest center of poverty, close to the capital and the luxury of the minority living downtown.
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