34 persons deceased and 238 persons were injured as a result of mines and UXO in northeast Albania. There are approximately 100 amputees, 17 sights impaired; about 30 % of the victims were children at the time of their accidents. 92% of mine victims in Albania are male. The majority of landmine survivors live in the mountainous and isolated northeast of Albania, where 56 % of the population is dependent on social aid, unemployment is estimated to be about 30%, and an estimated 70 % of the population lacks access to basic health services.

In addition to those injured from the mines laid during the Kosovo conflict, there are an estimated 480 mine/UXO survivors throughout Albania who were injured as a result of the ammunition depots looted and scatted throughout the country during the 1997 uprising.

A broad integrated victim assistance strategy was adopted in 2003 with the goal of building a sustainable Albanian mine action capability by 2010. The main objectives are:

• Fitment of prostheses to lower limb amputees and rehabilitation of sight impaired in Albania and upper limb amputees and difficult cases abroad.
• Building the capacity of Albanian institutions to fit all types of prostheses and orthoses in Albania by the end of 2010.
• Economic reintegration of mine victims through a micro-financing scheme for establishing home-based economies.
• Building a capacity in NE Albania to surgically treat trauma and amputee victims and serve as a level two medical facility for victims of demining accidents.
• Establish a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) network to improve mine survivors' access to, and quality of, medical and social services.  

Mine Survivors assistance through CBR Network	Surgical equipment for Kukes Hospital	Reintegration of landmine survivors

Many initiatives have been taken in the area of victim assistance, specifically in recent years. Major accomplishments include:

• 10 sight impaired mine victims received medical intervention at the private Russian IGLI clinic in Tirana in 2006;
• a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) network under the Reintegration of Landmine Survivors Project (pdf file, 82kB) has been established in the mine affected region to improve mine survivors' access to, and quality of medical and social services;
• New National Ortho-Prostheses Center will be built in 2008, with funds provided by Albanian Government.
• The prostheses repair centre was established at Kukes Hospital; activities are ongoing to upgrade the center to produce the prostheses in Kukes at a later stage.
• updated surgical equipment was provided to Kukes and Tropoja Hospitals;
• mine/UXO amputees are being treated at the National Prosthetic Centre (NPC) and
  130 persons classified as 'difficult cases' have been sent abroad for rehabilitation;
• 2 prosthetic technicians are receiving intensive training to international standards abroad with ICRC support;
• 3 medical specialists (including a surgeon) from Kukes Hospital received refresher training abroad;
• 10 children are receiving direct support in continuing their studies under the support to landmine/UXO survivors Project (pdf file, 104kB);
• 67 mine survivors have been assisted in establishing home-based economies;
• 30 mine survivors received the vocational training courses in Kukes with EC and UNDP support
• A full set of physiotherapy equipments are delivered to Kukes with financial support from France and EC through UNDP Albania
• 30 kits are delivered to the 30 nurses of the CBR network in the 30 mine affected villages. Project supported from French Government
• A Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PMR) project started in May 2006 with Handicap International funded by US DoS to develop a sustainable national response to the PMR needs of mine victims as well as others.

In January 2005, the Albanian Government approved its first National Strategy on People with Disabilities. This strategy aims to improve the living conditions of persons with disabilities (including mine/UXO survivors) in the fields of education, employment, support services, and free access, through asserting the fundamental rights of persons with disabilities. The Albanian Government is also following closely the developments regarding the International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have publicly expressed Albania's commitment to become a signatory member of this convention.