On October 12, 1995, the Venerini Sisters began their mission in the village of Gjadër. Starting exactly from the mission to serve, they concretize their presence with ongoing meetings with children, adolescents, and youth. This was not simple at all because they found the village of Gjader in extreme poverty and in a total chaos left by the 50-year period of communism.
Seeing all the difficulties that groups of young people and children encountered in schooling, in addition to the catechism they organized every week, they also began to offer opportunities for doing homework, various courses and educational activities. By doing so, the youth had a chance to spend quality time at the center and could avoid street life as much as possible.
Other activities, such as embroidery, tailoring or hairdressing, were offered to unemployed village girls and women. All this was done under the motto of the Venerini Sisters: “Educate to liberate”.
In 1997, while Albania was in the chaos of a civil war and the murders became the new normal, once again the children and youth of Gjader led by Venerini Sisters did not stand idly by. They took the initiative to clear the villages of the signs of death, thus collecting thousands of cartridges that symbolized their desire for peace and life at a time when all Zadrima region (including schools) was closed in fear. But the children of Gjader gathered near the Venerini Sisters to give a sign of hope. The Ambassadors of Peace association was right there initiated and founded by Antonio Sciarra and Enrica Giovannini (a Venerini Sister). They organized activities to highlight the problems of Albania and mitigate them by conveying messages of peace and justice through songs, recitals and artistic activities.
However, the danger that threatened the young men and women of the village was a real problem. Organized crime networks involved young people and adolescents immediately. Suddenly, the young people of Gjader had to face the problem of prostitution. What could be done while young men and women were disappearing every day . That is why the “Prayer-Action” association was founded as well. This association, led by the parish priest Antonio Sciarra and the Venerini Sisters, aimed through prayer and awareness to prevent, protect and heal the wounds that Zadrima and the Albanian society were facing. Young people gathered for prayer, to discuss, share, and find new strategies for dealing with those new social issues.
As the group grew, new needs arose, therefore in 1999 the Venerini Youth Center opened its doors. It expanded its activity to open a vocational school (firstly a 2-year school for foreign languages and computing, then a 3-year school for economics which then became lasted for five years). It offered the opportunity of education to hundreds of teenagers and young people all over Zadrima, young people who often could never have attended a school due to their family financial difficulties or rigid mentality, especially concerning young girls. The Venerini Youth Center still continues to promote human dignity through awareness, prevention, training activities; through special activities for children, adolescents and young people (including training courses, psychosocial meetings and games); through various adult events (meetings on various topics, tailoring lab and regular family visits); through the private high school Rogacionistet (in cooperation with the Rogationistet Fathers and run by Venerini Sisters ); but also through the Rozalba house which welcomes girls from 8 to 18 years old and the reintegration house, houses for girls over 18 years old and those who leave the center.