Everybody in Albania knows the name Mother Teresa, who came from the north Albanian town Skodra. But if you travel to the wild north of this former communist country you will found out there is another mother traveling through the remote villages today. The 84 years old Mother Cathrien who lives in the Netherlands has travelled for the last 15 year to the poorest regions of this country to help those in need. Everybody knows her face and when she arrives in these villages, people start smiling and joyful shout her name while they hug and kiss her. Everybody tells me the same story. Mother Cathrien is an Angel from Holland. But for Cathrien de Kuiper-Barlag this is just her job, she says. “When you see what we throw away at home every day, these people can use that stuff to rebuild there country that is damaged by so many years of isolation during the Enver Hoxa communist regime. Through the years she has build three schools a maternity hospital a sewing class and supported many families in their struggle for a better life. Most things she finds for free in the Netherlands and simple ships them to Albania where they can use most stuff we throw away. Most people know Albania as one of the most extreme communist countries within Europe, but today the country tries to forget it’s wild past and builds a new colourful future. In the capital city of Tirana you can see the younger generation building the new society in the hope to join the European Union one day. But in the North of the country people are still struggling to find work and make a normal living. The Dutch mother Cathrien is still travelling once a year to help those in need. Her love has spread throughout the villages and gives hope on a better future, knowing there is a mother who always takes care for them. © DAIMON XANTHOPOULOS / INVISION IMAGES