Artan is a 13-year old Albanian boy who is sponsored by Plan.

This is his story:

My parents are farmers and I have three sisters and a brother and I just finished grade seven. During my time in Plan I have learned many things and many changes have happened in my village. My sponsor in Germany writes to me frequently and I do the same. I have written to him about our demanding lives, the difficult times we had with water almost like in legends. It looked like our hardships would never end.

I remember my older sister going on horseback to get water. It was a long way and there were many people standing in a long queue. In winter it was much more difficult. So we had to use rain water for washing and also for drinking.

I will never forget the day when water came to our village. In every household there was a water tap and in every drop of water coming out of the tap there was a message of gratefulness: Thank you, Plan!

This thank you came from the mouth of a small child all the way to that of an old man.