Coming Home, Starting Again: How Tailored Support Is Helping Albanian Returnees Rebuild Their Lives
Returning home is often seen as the end of a journey. For thousands of Albanian citizens coming back from abroad, however, it marks the beginning of another one—rebuilding a life, finding stability and reconnecting with their communities. Over the past five years, the Bridge Component Albania (URA Albania) has helped turn moments of uncertainty into opportunities for people to rebuild their lives in Albania.
When Flori returned to Albania after a year in Germany, he knew that coming home would also mean finding a way to rebuild his livelihood.
Flori had left his village in Bulqiza with two close friends, hoping that migration would offer new opportunities. But the experience of living abroad also showed him that starting a new life in another country is not always as straightforward as it may seem from home. After returning voluntarily to Albania, he registered with URA Albania and began counselling to identify the support he needed to make a smooth transition back home.
Through the support of a social advisor, URA helped Flori meet his immediate needs, easing some of the economic pressures he faced and allowing him to focus on finding work. This gave him the opportunity to pursue longer-term employment in the automotive sector, a field he was passionate about and already had experience in.
He eventually secured a job as an auto mechanic in Tirana, where he now works five days a week and has a stable income.
"Your support with household appliances and textiles gave me the opportunity to resolve some economic burdens and focus on other things, such as finding a job in Tirana,"
But employment is only the beginning. His goal is to gain enough experience to open his own business in Bulqiza. This would allow him to be closer to his family and build on the network of friends and businesses he already knows in his hometown.
Flori's story reflects a wider reality faced by people returning to Albania after migration: coming home is only the first step. The real challenge is rebuilding a stable life - often related to addressing personal circumstances and finding solutions for their needs to make that possible.
Over the past five years, more than 4,300 returnees and their family members who came back to Albania from Germany have received support for their most pressing needs through URA Albania.
Implemented by GIZ under the mandate of the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), with support from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and eleven German federal states, URA Albania has supported returnees, and their families move from immediate challenges towards long-term stability.
By combining immediate assistance with counselling, psychosocial support, access to public services and opportunities for economic empowerment, URA Albania has provided tailored support based on each person's circumstances, recognising that every return journey comes with different challenges.
From assistance to opportunity
For the Abedini family, returning home meant facing the challenges of starting again after a long period abroad.
After struggling with prolonged unemployment in their hometown, the family had moved to Germany with their young children in search of better opportunities. When they returned to Albania after 19 months, the experience of migration and return had placed a psychological burden on the family, particularly on the children, who struggled with anxiety and feelings of isolation.
The immediate support helped the family regain stability, but rebuilding a life required more than addressing their basic needs. Through psychological counselling and rental assistance, the family was able to focus on adjusting to life back home. With the rent covered, the head of the family was also able to restart his former business as a DJ, which became the family's primary source of income.
For the head of the family, the support was particularly important in helping them move forward.
"The psychological sessions you provided were valuable and irreplaceable, especially for the children. We became stronger and more resilient after the therapies.”
These experiences have shown that reintegration does not end once immediate needs are addressed. Financial stability and psychological support can provide the foundation, but long-term reintegration also depends on opportunities to rebuild an independent future.
Not every return begins with a home to go back to
For Violeta, a single mother of three, returning to Albania meant first finding a safe place to live in an unfamiliar city. Before thinking about employment or long-term plans, her priority was creating a secure environment for her children. Without stable housing and access to essential services, building a future would have been difficult to imagine.
Through URA Albania, the family received temporary rental support, assistance with school enrolment, access to social and health services and help applying for municipal housing support. The aim was not simply to respond to immediate needs, but to create the stability from which a new beginning could become possible.
"Even though I live in a foreign place and far from my family, I feel more at peace here. Once my child grows up, I will look for job opportunities."
Building solutions that last
As returnees gradually moved beyond their most immediate needs, the focus also shifted—from helping families establish basic living conditions to creating pathways towards employment, vocational training and sustainable income.
Since the launch of its employment support in 2026, 28 of the 54 returnees who received individual guidance have successfully found employment. For families returning after migration, these opportunities represent more than a job—they are a pathway towards rebuilding confidence, independence and a lasting connection with their communities.
By supporting individuals early and creating pathways towards independence, URA Albania contributes to sustainable solutions that benefit both returnees and the communities they return to. Flori's new start in employment, the Abedini family's renewed stability and Violeta's new start are different stories, but they share a common thread: return is not the end of the journey. With the right support, it can become the beginning of a new future.