If charities such as The Weekend Alternative or the Firdeus Foundation managed to raise more than $ 1 million in funding for the November 26 tragedy because of their well-known work on such causes, on the other hand it should be said that the names it was difficult to raise funds close to well-known organizations. Except for Marin Mema.
In collaboration with Albanian Roots - a New York-based nonprofit that works to improve the conditions of Albanian diaspora communities - Marin Mema launched a Facebook donation campaign. In just a few days, over $ 1.3 million in donations were documented, with the figure now exceeding the limit, reaching more than $ 1.5 million.
Without in any way diminishing the merits of the Albanian Root organization, it should also be said that Marin was a key figure who gave even more weight to the foundation that will help families affected by the earthquake.
The question naturally arises as to why nearly $ 1.6 million was entrusted to Meme?
In an interview with ABC News, Marini made the following point:
?I have always tried to do the job of a journalist honestly. A journalist's job is about people, about human relationships and how you approach them. It's not just a matter of being able to do it all, if a person has shown that he is honest about what he is doing, he can absolutely be trusted. I have had the chance and I thank all those who have trusted me and that is why I am in a difficult position today, because you have to get up your sleeves and start working to bring this trust to the end, as much as we can ".
"Marin Mema for President" and "Marin Mema Must Be Decorated by the President as 'Honor of the Nation'" are some of the Facebook pages that number thousands of followers. All this to emphasize the whole picture that the journalist has created for the public for years.
At a time when there is no denying that television is categorized as one side of a political party and the other, at a time when reporting is hard to believe because it is no surprise that something else is hiding behind them, Marin has stayed away from everyone. these schemes.
If a good portion of his generation's colleagues work in the office, are chief editors, or are invited to television shows as analysts, Marin Memen finds himself on the ground, some in one corner of Albania in the other.
Staying away from scandals, hassles and politics, the journalist has invested for years in what she knows best: documentaries. The "Albanian Footprint" documentary cycle is one of the few performances on local television where the public does not feel confused as to whether it is getting what it deserves or not. She doesn't feel offended about the content, characters, story and how she is treated.
All awards and honors from more than a decade, ranging from "Best Reporting", "Honorary Citizen", "Gratitude City", "Best Journalist" to "Man of the Year", have transformed his figure into a model.
Throughout this time, Marin Mema has been praised, inter alia, by institutions and citizens alike, for the dimension he has given to the Albanian cause, treated professionally, away from worthless nationalisms, such as documentaries about Albanians in the Sandzak of Serbia. Monastery in Macedonia, for Chameria etc. Regarding the latter, Mema was proclaimed a non-grata person in Greece after the shows aired in various areas of Chameria.
At a time when shows and television time are divided between telenovelas, spectacles, stories of the "sad" stories of unknown people, "Albanian Footprint" does what is supposed to be missing in a good portion of programs: the educational mission.
To conclude, however remarkable the fact that the journalist managed to raise nearly $ 1.6 million, is simply the fruit of years of hard work and investment. Marin Mema is one of the few cases where the individual does not fall under the umbrella of a particular television, party or institution.
