TEK URA is an Albanian development charity founded in 2016 by UK workers Dan and Annie Dupree, who remain its directors. Supported until 2023 by BMS World Mission, it works to improve the lives of local disadvantaged Albanian people by providing the support and opportunities they need to build better lives for themselves and their families. It works particularly with marginalised groups in society.
Sandbach Baptist Church was formerly a sponsor of Annie and Dan through BMS and is now represented on a Council of Supporters who share Christian values with Tek Ura as they join to resource the ongoing work. Annie and Dan declare that they value JESUS AT THE CENTRE of all the decisions they make. They visit us in Sandbach each year.
You can add directly to our SBC support for Tek Ura via this Stewardship donations page: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/pages/sandbachbaptisttekura We raised a substantial sum in 2023 and will be continuing this in more ways in 2024.
Tek Ura’s original community centre in a struggling area of Tirana (the capital of Albania) and its new centre in coastal Durrës together work with 300 regular users (and over 3,500 Albanians in total in 2022), who it assists with their physical, emotional and spiritual health. This includes trying to help into employment young Albanian men who mostly want to flee the country, families in crisis and debt, young girls and women at risk of being trafficked, and adults and children with complex disabilities who struggle greatly in Europe’s third poorest country.
Tek Ura also provides full- or part-time employment for 15 local people, particularly trained and trainee physiotherapists who provide a service otherwise impossible to afford for people in these needy communities.
A church that has grown up around Tek Ura continues to see many conversions and baptisms. Its pastor Juri Arapi says: ‘We are starting to see the young ones, who have grown up in our church at Tek Ura - deciding to follow Jesus and love their community. It's an honour and a privilege to be part of their story and exciting to be part of what God's doing in my country.’
You can read more about Tek Ura at any of www.tekura.org or https://linktr.ee/TekUra or on its Facebook page at https://en-gb.facebook.com/tiranatekura/