As a result of mines and UXO in northeast Albania, 34 persons have deceased and 238 persons were injured. 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 males. 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 500 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 three 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:

• A prostheses workshop has been established since March 2005 at Kukës Hospital to conduct repairs of prostheses and is being upgraded and producing prostheses for lower limbs.
• A Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PMR-Phase I & II) project started in May 2006 with Handicap International and funded by US DoS, to develop a sustainable national response to the PMR needs of mine victims and other people in need.
• ICRC supports the National Prosthetic Orthotic Center (NPOC) in Tirana with raw materials and with monitoring and coaching visits. A specialized technician is back at the NPOC after a 3-years training abroad at ISPO Level II, thus improving the capacities of the center.
• Equipments and raw materials are provided to the NPOC with funds provided by the EC. Part of these materials is sent to the Prostheses Workshop in Kukes.
• A full set of the physiotherapy equipments is delivered to Kukës Hospital with funding from France and EC.
• A donation of 35,700USD surgical equipments was delivered to Tropoja Hospital in June 2007, funded by EC through UNDP.
• 149 mine amputees classified as difficult cases have received physical rehabilitation and prostheses in Slovenia since 2001. 
• 84 mine victims and their families have been assisted in establishing home based economies in animal husbandry with revolving loans and technical assistance.
• 75 mine/UXO survivors from Kukës, Has and Tropoja received vocational training courses, funded by EC and SIDA. Another 45 will be assisted until the end of 2009 with funds provided by US DoS through ITF.
• The humanitarian event, "Night of a Thousand Dinners" hosted by the US Embassy in October 2007, raised over 19,000USD from individual donors including the Albanian private sector, which will be used for victim assistance projects in Albania.
• A donation of 49,500USD raw materials and equipments for the Prostheses Workshop was delivered to Kukes Hospital in July 2008, funded by DfID through UNDP.
• ITF is in process of procuring surgical equipments worth 170 000 USD, for Kukes Hospital, funded by US DoS. The equipments are expected to be delivered by mid 2009.
• 8 children mine survivors have returned to school and 10 sight impaired mine victims received medical intervention at the Russian clinic in Tirana, with funding raised during the "Night of a Thousand Dinners" event.
• A Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) network was established in Northeast Albania in 2005. The CBR network is comprised of 30 nurses working in the mine affected villages and 2 medical specialists (neurologist and physiotherapist) from Kukës Hospital. Medical kits have been distributed to these nurses in Kukës, Has and Tropoja while 2 physiotherapists and 6 nurses received training abroad, funded by France.

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.