Beginnings

In February 1994 Marijan Nijhof went to live in Albania. After spending time learning the language in the capital Tirana, Marijan moved to Gjirokastër in October that same year. She started giving Bible studies to women there and soon she became aware of the serious and hopeless condition of Albanian girls who are expecting. This led Marijan to open a house in which a loving, caring atmosphere prevailed to shelter these girls with their babies. She found out that babies are left behind in the maternity clinics throughout Albania, mostly by unmarried mothers, and the idea of starting a children's home was born.

In October 1996 a house was bought and in December 1996 the 'Foundation De Schuilplaats' or 'The Hiding Place' was established. A month later, the foundation was also registered in Gjirokastër as the 'Vatër e Ngrohtë' Foundation. It was not until 15 June 1998 that the contract with the Albanian government was completed and the first baby, Sara, came. Then more and more babies came and in November 1999 the construction of a new house started. From the beginning, the intention was to be as much like a family as possible and not an institute.

From 1998 to 2004, 9 children grew up in the two houses of The Hiding Place. In December 2004, 2 children went back to their own mother and from 2005 the first children were adopted. In total, 32 children were helped by De Schuilplaats (September 2013) - God is faithful: 4 children (sometimes after 2, sometimes after 9 years!) Could return to their own mother. One is now married and 14 children have received their own family through adoption. If the biological family no longer maintains contact with their child, the judge decides whether the child should be adopted or whether they remain in The Hiding Place.

The "old house" (which is beautiful by the way) is currently used for the care of everyone who needs it. Through all these years the house has been blessed with the help and support of many friends from all over the world, but especially from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.