Our weekly update 43 / October 2020.

It was a relatively quiet week for us, loaded a truck on Wednesday and done a few pick-up jobs, that was about it.

A number of our volunteers have chosen to stay at home because of the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases. An understandable choice most of us are in the "risk group" just like their partner. We adhere to government-mandated measures and count on each of us to do so. The proposition; it will all be okay, has lost its strength now.

The truck that we loaded on Wednesday was unloaded in Breaza on Friday afternoon. Everything went smoothly and without problems. The items will quickly find their way to their final destination. In Breaza no corona fell, but in the more distant area there were. The schools are still open, everything functions more or less normally, just like here, but with limitations.

Here the link to photos.

Unfortunately, Elena from Urmenis is not doing so well, she has had a cerebral infarction and has been admitted to a hospital in Tirgu Mures. Friday evening Elena was operated there, the doctors discovered a sub cranial hematoma. How this will end is still uncertain.

Toth Attila has sent some pictures of handing out backpacks, of the furniture, etc., which we brought to a.o. his children's home in Peris. When it opens, everything comes back into view.

Here the link to photos.

On Monday a nice load was unloaded at Reghina in Ticau, the distribution of the goods started almost immediately. She would also like to make even more houses waterproof, we still have roof sheets from Hardeman for this in Broek op Langedijk. A house in particular has caught my attention, due to its poor condition but also the beautiful location on the water.

As I wrote before, we have been supporting the activities of St. Emeth, the main sponsor of Reghina's work in Ticau and the surrounding area, for many years. Through Gerrit van der Starre, the chairman of this foundation, I learned more about the residents of this leaking house.

The man's name is Cristi, his nickname in Romanian is Orb, which means blind. Most gypsies among themselves have a nickname. He is blind in one eye and therefore it is difficult to find work.

They are a good family, he and his wife are both 40 years old and they have 4 children, the oldest is 10 and the youngest is still a baby. They receive a social benefit of €. 50.- per month through the town hall. They have to make do with that, which is why they are very happy with the help they receive through Reghina.

The house is of course pretty ramshackle, but the worst is obviously a leaking roof. It would be a blessing to them if the roof stopped leaking. The roof area is 48 m2 and everything is so rotten that all woodwork, including ceiling, has to be renewed.

A carpenter has come to watch and he can make it for the sum of €. 550.-. I realize that this is quite a considerable amount, but the result is that this family is dry this winter. And that is also very important.

The woodwork and labor costs of the first four houses have been able to finance the Emeth foundation, unfortunately they lack the means to renovate more houses. I hope that with the help of sponsors we will be able to “find” the necessary € 550, - for this house. Letting these people live in a dry house for the winter should work.

Here the link to photos of the handing out.

Here the link to thet message.

Cristi from Botosani also continues to distribute relief supplies and is working on his second storage to make it more suitable for receiving goods. The new site also offers space for small livestock such as chickens and the children from Casa Ioana can also play and have something to do. Being and staying busy is important at any age.

Here the link to photos.

Many vegetables and potatoes were sent from the farm to, for example, homes in the area. We are considering also having potatoes distributed with the Christmas packages promotion. Perhaps not so festive a bag of potatoes, but very useful and we already have a lot of stuff in stock to spice it up. The plans on how we will organize the packages action have yet to mature, but it is certain that it will be a great action. Our contact persons in Romania are extra important this year to make the campaign a success, fortunately they are happy to cooperate without exception, despite the difficult circumstances.

Here the link to a few photos.

The coming week we will sort and collect goods in Utrecht that are temporarily stored there for St. HIRF, the Salvation Army and our foundation. On Wednesday we will load for Botosani, especially building materials. Cristi needs a lot for his new construction project, and people who live in a simple cabin with nothing else, not even a floor but just mud, can use anything. Sometimes the application is an unusual one, the perspective of these people is also completely different from ours. It is almost impossible to really imagine their situation.