Albania opened its borders from the beginning of the crisis in order to let refugees come. People were arriving directly at the border located at the north east of the country, or were transferred from Macedonia. Albania was not prepared for so many people to come and asked for international help in order to cover refugees basic needs. To coordinate the operations, the Albanian government created the Emergency Management Group days after the NATO military air strike began. This group coordinated actions from main structures such as the UNHCR and many other organisations such as NGOs. The situation was nevertheless delicate during the first days because UNHCR and NGOs did not predict that the NATO bombings would last for several months and lead to such a movement of population. Equipment was at first lacking, but many international structures and NGO's raised funds and/or gave practical help to Albania. Several European countries stated that it was in the interests of the refugees to stay in the region and gave financial help. Germany, for example, gave money to build camps in Albania for refugees transferred from Macedonia. On top of the refugees placed in camps, the Albanian population welcomed many of them in their homes, sharing space and food.