Light for Children

News from Romania - September 2009

Our greetings and thanks to everyone who is attending the AGM this evening. Here is just a taste of what has been happening in Dorohoi over the last few weeks:

At the end of August/ beginning of September we enjoyed Lynn and Maggie’s company for a week, taking the time to catch up with various families and young people in and around Dorohoi. Not having been to Romania for at least two years, I think that Lynn and Maggie could see quite distinct changes in both the people and the place.

For many of our children and young people, September is a particularly important month as it is the start of the new academic year following a three month summer holiday. Several of our youngest children have started nursery school and are thoroughly enjoying the company of other children as well as the routine and challenges that nursery offers. The vast majority of our young people have gone back to school, several starting sixth form courses.

Sam*, who is 8, has started school for the first time. Sam was electrocuted over twelve months ago and as a result of horrific burns lost the lower part of his right arm. He is now doing really well but to give him that extra boost, we are paying for him to stay at school for a full eight-hour day (most primary aged children stay for four hours). He is really enjoying himself so far.

Jim*, who is now 18, transferred from special school to mainstream sixth form last year. This September, he expressed an interest in transferring again to an art school in Botosani. Although he is a gifted artist and the school have agreed for him to attend painting classes twice a week, after his normal school day. We have paid the registration fee and provided the art materials that he needs. A local transport company have given him a free bus pass to be able to travel to and from Botosani as he needs to.

Phil* will start his second year at university this week and Brian* has also got a place at university to study social work. Over the last few years we have supported him to do a “certificate” in social work and also to gain work experience at an old peoples home as well as a canteen/ homework club for poor children. The students entering university need to pay student fees, he will be required to pay £400 a year for three years. Child protection will cover his accommodation and food. Over the last 5-6 years, Brian has been saving money in a bank account. He will pay some of his fees and we are delighted to be able to help him, particularly as he has tried so hard to help himself.

All of our young people who are now living independently are doing well. Having helped them such a lot in the early stages, we are now gradually redressing the balance so that they are taking more and more responsibility for themselves. Steve* is about to move to a different rented room so that he will have a fireplace for the winter months. With Mihai now in full time nursery, Mihaela has enrolled in a course at a local shoe factory, which will start on 1 October. The course was advertised at the local job centre and will hopefully be beneficial to Mihaela in her search for employment. Now that Gianina’s eldest son is at nursery, she has started to receive the dental treatment that she so urgently needs.

This is just a taste of the sort of things that we have been involved with this month. We are very grateful for your continued support, which enables us to help and encourage so many of the young people here.

Helen.

*Not their real name

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsletter Summer 2009

Before sharing all our news with you, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for your continued support, without which, none of what we describe below would be possible.

Young people in care
We are delighted to be able to tell you that Florin has successfully completed his first year at university and is working at a Christian campsite in the mountains during the summer holidays. Giani, Petronela and Aurelia, our young people doing work experience, have each enjoyed their placements this year. Giani and Petronela have worked with disadvantaged children at a canteen/ homework club throughout the academic year. Aurelia continues to work in a local restaurant at weekends, where she has been asked to do extra hours to help at weddings and other celebrations.

Independent living
Several of our young people have now moved out of state care and are living independently in Dorohoi.

Mihaela (21) and Mihai (3) continue to live in their small rented house. In the Spring, Mihai started to attend nursery school, which enabled Mihaela to find casual work cleaning for local families. Mihai is a happy, healthy, sociable young boy and he and Mihaela have a very close relationship.

Raluca (21) got married at our local registry office in February and is expecting a baby in October. She is living with her husband in Dorohoi but comes to us regularly for help with food or medication. We have got lots of clothes and other items ready for her baby.

Ionut (22) left the state run apartments in April and is now renting a small room in a house in Dorohoi. He receives benefits which enable him to pay his rent and to buy some food. He keeps his money with us and comes to us three or four times a week to take what he needs for food. He also uses our apartment to wash his clothes. Although Ionut would find it difficult to hold down a full time job, we are very pleased that he is doing some voluntary work at a local charity shop, which gives him a real purpose each day.

Gianina (24) and her two boys Seby (5) and Narcis (2) have had a difficult year but are now settled in a rented room in Dorohoi. They receive food from a local canteen during the week, so I visit them each Friday with food for the weekend, nappies etc. Seby is looking forward to starting nursery school in September and Narcis is concentrating all his energy on potty training this summer!

Visitors from the UK
We have been fortunate this year to have had three different groups of visitors from the UK. In February, a team came over from Langworthy Community Church in Salford, to meet and encourage our young people and families. In May, a team from Seighford joined us for a few days. As well as meeting our young people, they worked very hard to paint the living room in the apartment where our young people come to us. In July, Jan and Bob Baxter, representing Alba Aid from north east Scotland, drove out to spend ten busy days with us. Thank you very much to each of these groups of people for their time, energy and encouragement. We are looking forward to the arrival of Lynn and Maggie at the end of August.

Boxes from England
Throughout the year, we have received many boxes of clothing, bedding, toiletries and other items from England. We are very grateful to everybody who has not only donated these items but also lovingly packed them and sent them to the warehouse in Surrey in time to be loaded onto a lorry. Our thanks, also, to the Romanian Aid Foundation for enabling us to have space on their lorries. We can’t describe to you just how much joy the contents of these boxes bring. Our young people and families are continually blessed to receive the good things that you send. Receiving so much from England also enables us to use the funds that we have to buy other vital things, such as food and medication.

Support and encouragement
As well as offering practical support, particularly medication and access to medical care, a lot of our time is taken up in providing emotional support and encouragement. This can mean visiting HIV+ young people in hospital, counselling teenagers or keeping up contact with young people who have returned to their natural families. We continue to celebrate birthdays together and to encourage our young people to think about their faith and whenever possible, to attend church. Two of our teenagers have expressed an interest in being baptised, which we are delighted about.

With our sincere thanks, Helen and Costel

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2008

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has supported our work with children and young people in northeast Romania during 2008. Once again we have had a busy year and have been able to help many people as a result of your kind generosity. As well as supporting our core group of seventy young people, many of whom live in state care, we have also been able to help a number of other children who have recently been abandoned or who have particular special needs. In this newsletter, we will attempt to outline the different areas of our work to give you a flavour of what we have been doing this year.

Teenagers in care
Our core group of young people in state care are now nearly all aged between 17 and 22 years. As well as supporting them with medication and access to medical care, we have continued to provide the vast majority of their clothing and toiletries, as well as any books or special equipment that they have needed for school. Our eldest boy, has started at university this autumn and for several of the other young people, we have been able to arrange work experience in places such as a bakery, a restaurant and a canteen/ homework club for poor children. Above all, we have tried to be trustworthy friends at a time when so much is changing in their lives. This is perhaps the most demanding job of all, being surrogate parents to so many teenagers!

New children coming into the care system
In recent months, a number of young children have moved into the state run apartments in Dorohoi. These children have either been abandoned by their parents or removed from their homes by the Child Protection authorities. They have arrived with just the clothes that they have been wearing, often quite malnourished and disturbed by their experiences. We have been able to provide each of these children with a parcel of clothes and toys, as well as school equipment and medication, where it has been needed. Costel has also been able to cut all the boys hair, making them look smart for their new schools. Not only has this been a practical help to them but it has also been an encouragement for them to know that somebody cares about them in their new homes.

Mother and son
Mother (20) and her son (2) are both keeping well. We continue to rent a small house for them in Dorohoi and also pay their bills and provide their food and clothing. Mum is taking her responsibilities seriously and her young son is doing very well with his potty training and his speech is improving all the time. He enjoys playing with toy cars and animals but more than anything, enjoys “repairing” bits and pieces in his little house with his plastic JCB toolkit! He is a very happy boy and we are so pleased that he has been saved from being brought up in the state care system.

Apartment
Having received a specific donation, this autumn we have been able to replace the windows in the apartment that we use for our work with the young people. This has already made a tremendous difference and we are very grateful to those who made this possible. Having two apartments in the same block (one owned by the charity and one rented) continues to work really well for both the young people and ourselves. The teenagers come to us regularly either to use the computer, sewing machine, washing machine or bathroom, or just to talk or to do homework. It is a safe place for them and their belongings, which many of them store with us, knowing that nothing will be taken from them.

Hospital visits
I continue to visit any of our young people who are in hospital, whether it be the children’s hospital, psychiatric unit or contagious diseases hospital. They are always pleased to have a visitor and I try wherever possible to take them food, changes of clothing and anything else that they might need. One of our teenage boys, has recently had surgery on his ear in Iasi, a town approximately 150km from Dorohoi. In order for the operation to go ahead, his birth Mother had to give her permission for the surgery in front of a public notary. I was able to take the document to the hospital and stay with him as he recovered from his operation. He has never seen his Mother, but is very keen to meet her. He knew that I had been in touch with her and one of the first things he said when he came round from the anaesthetic was “I think my Mom will come to see me now”. He was still wearing an oxygen mask and had his eyes closed but he knew exactly what he was most looking forward to! It is a privilege to share such precious moments with our young people.

Thank you once again for your continued support,
Helen and Costel.