Pryor Recounts Hurt, Suffering in Albania

Describing the situation in the Albanian refugee camps he visited as "pretty grim," Institute of Politics (IOP) fellow and former U.S. Senator and Arkansas governor David Pryor shared his experiences with about 40 students and community members at a lunch yesterday at the IOP.

Pryor said he had been motivated to go to the Balkans by others who had already visited the region.

"I was inspired by a man I read about in the Boston Globe... I said, 'Why not me?'" Pryor said.

But he said he had returned somewhat disappointed by how little he had been able to accomplish.

"I left three weeks later a little frustrated. I felt like I really didn't make much of a difference," he said.

However, Pryor said, there were little things about his trip that made it worth-while. He mentioned one boy who, as Pryor was leaving, ran up and gave him an orange. The first shipment of oranges in three weeks had arrived earlier that day, and each refugee had received just one.

"That was his treasure, and he gave it to me," Pryor said.

Pryor's talk focused on the children in the camps. He said that if he were to go back to the region, he would spend more time working specifically with them.

"In any kind of a war situation, they're the first to get hurt. What the Serbs have forced them to see and feel is as inhuman as you can get," Pryor said.

Saying that he never once saw a playground or play area for the children, Pryor emphasized the need for children's programs in the camps.

"It's very necessary for the children to recollect and depict what they saw before they left Kosovo," Pryor said.

Right now, he said, all the children remember is the trauma of leaving their homes. He held up pictures of the children's artwork to illustrate his point.

"Most of the pictures that the children draw are homes on fire... Here are Serbian tanks shelling their homes...Those are dead people on the side," Pryor described.

However, he said, the pictures showed that the children still held some hope.

"Usually in every picture there's also a NATO plane. They love NATO," Pryor said.

Pryor said he was also encouraged by everyday examples of human kindness by the refugees and the Albanians.

"Our translator had 19 people living in her home. She has no shower, she has one toilet," he said.

"[Albanians are] accepting their ethnic brothers and sisters not only into their communities but also into their homes," he added.

But these bright points did not obscure the tragedy still unfolding in the region.

Showing slides and passing around pictures of his visit, Pryor said that the biggest problems facing the refugee camps at the moment are a lack of water and the potential for disease due to poor sanitation.

Pryor also mentioned problems of women being stolen from the camps, presumably to be sold into sexual slavery, and supplies being stolen for the black market. He described one instance where trucks parked near a camp and full of provisions for the refugees disappeared overnight.

Despite some frustration, Pryor encouraged the crowd, particularly the young people, to go to the region and volunteer their help this summer.

"If you ever wanted to do something, now is the time to do it," he said.

Even those who are unable to go to the region can still make a difference, Pryor said.

He suggested they adopt a refugee camp and send it supplies.

Pryor said that though he is back in the U.S., he would continue to help the refugees. He has already asked Wal-Mart to donate supplies, including baby bottles, blankets, clothes and shoes. He said he plans to request aid from a number of other companies.