Romania Field Trip

Over the past 8 years I have had the privilege of visiting one or 2 orphanages in Romania and to help out on various projects, but this trip opened my eyes to the desperate needs facing the forgotten children of this impoverished country.

 Romania, a slower developer than other former communist countries of Eastern Europe, The legacy of communist-era leader Nicolae Ceausescu, who was feared and loathed in approximately equal measure, lingered long after the uprising which brought his execution on Christmas Day 1989. Failure to push ahead sufficiently with reforms meant that the country was not on the list of new EU members four years later. However, in April 2005 Bucharest signed the EU accession treaty, paving the way for Romania to join the union in January 2007.

It’s Population is over 21 million with over 640 state and private orphanages responsible for over 100,000 children, with a further 100,000 street kids who require assistance every day. Most of these children are affected drastically by the global financial crisis. Many of them left with relatives whilst their parents have sought to find work across Europe or even left to fend for themselves.

Feed The Hungry have chosen to partner with Bread of Life  to bring the Every Child Every Day food program into Romania, Our goal on this trip was to establish the start of this new venture with a commitment to feed 530 Children Every Day with Vitamin enriched Soup mix and Beans.

Part of this program we visited on this trip included 2 Churches in The Southern Region Of Calarasi in the villages of Spantov and Chiselet where we are providing food every day for over 220 Children, where unemployment runs at over 70%, here we had children walking to the Churches in their parents shoes as they did not have any over their own. Walking into a room of fun loving kids who were so appreciative of the food was a great blessing, but also a wakeup call to the enormity of the situation.

From the Calarasi area we travelled 9 hours to our next destination up in the Northern Mountains to a small town of Brosteni, to The Bread of Life orphanage, where we were met by Gabi and his team who care for children aging from as young as 3 to 18 years of age. The statistics where a stark reminder of the needs in this country as exemplified by the rural town of  Brosteni with a population of around  8,000 people which has a state orphanage caring for 50 children, as well as The Bread of Life orphanage which has 95 kids and an extended food program for another 50 children in the area.

Yet whilst we were there we were given a taste of the heart of the team and the children, when we were invited to follow the ‘meals on wheels team’ of young lads from the orphanage who go out every day on their bikes with hot

food in back packs to widows and less able people in the area. When asked why they do it, there reply is ‘its good that we can give a little from what we receive’ it was a very humbling experience to meet such great young lads who will ride up to 2 hrs to get the food out to those in need.

The following day we travelled south to Piatra-Neampt the largest town in the area, where we visited a feeding program at a local church for 70 kids. What was beginning to hit me was that even though we were only there for a few days, and only had a snapshot of the needs in these towns across Romania. It was also a timely reminder that we need to remember the dedication of the cooks and helpers, who are there every day for these children.

On our way back to Bucharest we visited an orphanage in Ploiesti run by a young family who have dedicated their lives and finances to help the fatherless, building a orphanage which holds 35 children and with the assistance of Feed the Hungry in partnership with Bread of Life is able to extend its program in the area to open up its kitchens to provide food daily to a further 35 local children.

These are a few of most fortunate of the forgotten, there are only part of the untold multitudes of children that are abandon or orphaned each year. At Feed The Hungry we believe that God has a special love for the fatherless, and hope that you will share in God’s commission in James 1v27 ... Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.......

Partnering with the many dedicated people across Romania, and with the diligence of the Bread of Life team in distributing the food to the projects across the country, we believe that through your help we can make a real difference to the lives of many..... £4 is all it takes to help feed a child for a month no more than the price of a take away.

Please help today to make a difference in bringing life giving help to the forgotten children of Romania.