Unlike previous years, this year, the Charities Aid Foundation did not publish a list of the most charitable states through 2019, but rather an aggregation of lists made over the past decade. The study asks three questions to the interviewee. Did you help a stranger when he needed help? Have you donated money to charity? Have you volunteered for a non-profit organization? Based on the answers, an average is compiled that contributes to the ranking of the country in the list.

During this decade, Albania was ranked 105th out of 125 countries studied. As Albanians, this ranking sounds absurd. We have a culture rooted in the hospitality and help of those in need. When one gets sick on the street, one leaves no one to suffer. When a distant cousin is looking for a place to stay in your home, we certainly release a bed. When we see neighbors have economic problems, we extend a hand.

These behaviors were most noticeable and reinforced their roots during the November 26 tragedy and the days that followed. Hundreds volunteered to help those affected, hundreds opened their homes to shelter, hundreds donated thousands, and raised about $ 10 million. The charity created after the earthquake does not even come close to the charities made throughout the decade by Albanians. So monumental it was.

However, there was no impact on Albania's rankings on the CAF list. But there is a reason. Questions about financial donation and volunteer time have been answered negatively by Albanian interviewees because they are not yet part of our culture. As we explained above, we are reaching out to other, perhaps more human, ways of helping those in need. Also, the site explaining the methodology states that small states have interviewed around 1,000 residents, a small sample compared to the 3 million Albanians residing within the territory.

Albania's poor ranking does not adequately portray our charitable spirit, and as long as we know and do not become diligent, we are OK.