Thursday, January 15, 2009
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
CHRISTMAS 2007
For the third time, Response helped Santa Claus to deliver Christmas gifts to the children and their families from Single parents project.
We would like to thank our sponsor for supporting us in our work, helping us to bring joy and happiness to the children.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Hope for a forgotten Romanian village
FACTS
Sad old people sitting on the benches in front of their houses having nostalgia for the past times when they were proud to speak about their village. Some children playing in the dust, ducks and geese on the road, seemed to picture the life at the beginning of the last century.
Old and deteriorated buildings with broken windows once “the village Hall”, the school…
The Orthodox Church built on the village’s hill in 1762 with the painting in fresco executed between 1785 – 1789 is still well preserved.
This is Toparcea, a component village (10 km from Ocna Sibiului) situated only 27 km away from Sibiu.
Despite the small distance that separates it from the busy town, the village has the air of a place entirely remote from civilization. The dirt road that leads to Toparcea is almost impracticable in winter. There’s no railway or even a bus station. There are only two phones in the village due to the lack of phone cables, and there’s no coverage for the mobile phone.
Once a flourishing village with 2800 inhabitants, most of them shepherds, Toparcea is now the pale image of what it once used to be. Because of Ceausescu’s megalomaniac ideas of changing the country’s status from an agricultural country into an industrialized one, the village population was forced to move to the city and increase the so-called “working class”. The small village of Toparcea represents the perfect example for the recent troubles facing the Eastern European rural areas. Battered by urbanisation and the disappearance of the local smallholders, which started mainly after the fall of communism, the village shows a lot of empty houses. The young people are moving towards the cities in their frantic search for a better future. The ones who stay behind are mainly the elderly.
Toparcea has 180 inhabitants, most of them retired people who used to work for the communist C.A.P (collective farms, the Romanian version of the Russian COLHOZ) as daily workers, with no working contract and yet without social benefits and pension. There are no possibilities of earning an income by harvesting due to the inadequate soil.
For most families, the cost of transportation for their children to go to school causes great difficulties, as it sometimes exceeds the family income because there is no bus station there. The nearest town is not very far, but is also lacks employment opportunities.
The main problems are:
- buildings which are unsuitable, too big, badly maintained and poorly insulated in which heating takes a disproportionate amount of the budget;
- NO secondary school;
- NO kindergarten (building unsuitable and no early teacher educator);
- the lack of school supplies;
- poor sanitary facilities and no kitchens and canteens;
- no gyms and a total lack of modern equipment such as books, maps not to mention computers;
- the lack of motivation of pupils and teachers, partly as a result of poor conditions and low wages.
INITIATIVE
As a response to this situation, we are developing a project to support two groups: children and elders of Toparcea. As a starting point, we consider that the most effective support is the simplest one: we intend to distribute parcels containing the daily essentials like food, clothing or soap to the elders, school supplies and toys for children.
GOAL
The goal of this project is to help the poorest elderly within this community to survive. (Support for the elderly project).
Regarding the children, we intend to organize Birthday Parties, Christmas, Eastern and Child Day Parties, to distribute clothing and school supplies. We also intend to repair the school and the kindergarten and to organize transport to the nearest school (Ocna) for the children who attend secondary school.
This is a long term project, and we shall continue to offer this support to the elders until the government will apply a better program of social protection.
OBJECTIVES
- to provide material support (food, hygienic and school supplies, clothing, medicines, optical glasses);
- to prevent and reduce school abandonment by offering the children the chance to continue their education;
- to offer summer camps for the children (Special Projects);
- to provide emotional support through visits of Response employees and volunteers.
CONCLUSION
As a result of the support offered by Response foundation, the living conditions for this community will be significantly improved:
- diversified and improved daily diet for elders;
- better access to medication and medical care for both children and elders;
- decreased rate of school abandonment – better access to education for the children;
- a chance for the children to learn in an adequate environment;
Sad old people sitting on the benches in front of their houses having nostalgia for the past times when they were proud to speak about their village. Some children playing in the dust, ducks and geese on the road, seemed to picture the life at the beginning of the last century.
Old and deteriorated buildings with broken windows once “the village Hall”, the school…
The Orthodox Church built on the village’s hill in 1762 with the painting in fresco executed between 1785 – 1789 is still well preserved.
This is Toparcea, a component village (10 km from Ocna Sibiului) situated only 27 km away from Sibiu.
Despite the small distance that separates it from the busy town, the village has the air of a place entirely remote from civilization. The dirt road that leads to Toparcea is almost impracticable in winter. There’s no railway or even a bus station. There are only two phones in the village due to the lack of phone cables, and there’s no coverage for the mobile phone.
Once a flourishing village with 2800 inhabitants, most of them shepherds, Toparcea is now the pale image of what it once used to be. Because of Ceausescu’s megalomaniac ideas of changing the country’s status from an agricultural country into an industrialized one, the village population was forced to move to the city and increase the so-called “working class”. The small village of Toparcea represents the perfect example for the recent troubles facing the Eastern European rural areas. Battered by urbanisation and the disappearance of the local smallholders, which started mainly after the fall of communism, the village shows a lot of empty houses. The young people are moving towards the cities in their frantic search for a better future. The ones who stay behind are mainly the elderly.
Toparcea has 180 inhabitants, most of them retired people who used to work for the communist C.A.P (collective farms, the Romanian version of the Russian COLHOZ) as daily workers, with no working contract and yet without social benefits and pension. There are no possibilities of earning an income by harvesting due to the inadequate soil.
For most families, the cost of transportation for their children to go to school causes great difficulties, as it sometimes exceeds the family income because there is no bus station there. The nearest town is not very far, but is also lacks employment opportunities.
The main problems are:
- buildings which are unsuitable, too big, badly maintained and poorly insulated in which heating takes a disproportionate amount of the budget;
- NO secondary school;
- NO kindergarten (building unsuitable and no early teacher educator);
- the lack of school supplies;
- poor sanitary facilities and no kitchens and canteens;
- no gyms and a total lack of modern equipment such as books, maps not to mention computers;
- the lack of motivation of pupils and teachers, partly as a result of poor conditions and low wages.
INITIATIVE
As a response to this situation, we are developing a project to support two groups: children and elders of Toparcea. As a starting point, we consider that the most effective support is the simplest one: we intend to distribute parcels containing the daily essentials like food, clothing or soap to the elders, school supplies and toys for children.
GOAL
The goal of this project is to help the poorest elderly within this community to survive. (Support for the elderly project).
Regarding the children, we intend to organize Birthday Parties, Christmas, Eastern and Child Day Parties, to distribute clothing and school supplies. We also intend to repair the school and the kindergarten and to organize transport to the nearest school (Ocna) for the children who attend secondary school.
This is a long term project, and we shall continue to offer this support to the elders until the government will apply a better program of social protection.
OBJECTIVES
- to provide material support (food, hygienic and school supplies, clothing, medicines, optical glasses);
- to prevent and reduce school abandonment by offering the children the chance to continue their education;
- to offer summer camps for the children (Special Projects);
- to provide emotional support through visits of Response employees and volunteers.
CONCLUSION
As a result of the support offered by Response foundation, the living conditions for this community will be significantly improved:
- diversified and improved daily diet for elders;
- better access to medication and medical care for both children and elders;
- decreased rate of school abandonment – better access to education for the children;
- a chance for the children to learn in an adequate environment;
Adrian left the orphanage two years ago. He was abandoned in the maternity by his parents, ashamed of his disabilities. Adrian was born without his left arm having a wolf- mouth and hare-lip. The boy lived in a placement center in Agnita, and because of his age (28) he was thrown out from the orphanage.
Wearing a pair of blue jeans and a jacket on top of a thick blouse, Adrian is keeping his left sleeve in his pocket, to mask his infirmity. He is 26 years old, and he is the first born in the family of a famous Romanian gymnast, multiple European champion. His life seems incredible. We cannot say that his life is a movie scenario, because in this case, no writer would be so unfair with his character.
He was born with a wolf-mouth, hare lip and his left arm is missing. His right hand has only the one finger. He suffered a surgical intervention, but the doctors cannot make miracles. His parents abandoned him in the maternity, and at the age of 6 he was brought to the Placement center for orphans in Agnita (60 km from Sibiu).
His fate continued to be cruel to him: Adrian fell down and, because of his missing arm a banal fall became a terrible accident: falling with the head on a fence, a wire destroyed his left eye. At the age of 7, he suffered a triple fracture of the left leg and now he has problems in walking.
His parents happily continued their lives, pretending that Adrian never existed. They have four other children and they NEVER visited him. Adrian knows that he has a family, and not a common one, it is the family of a famous Romanian gymnast. The other boys from the orphanage, his friends, say that it was better for him not to know, because finding out he felt more rejected.
What impressed me at this boy, is that he does not hate his family, he does not blame them for their decision, he does not ask for explanations, but you cannot ignore the sadness in his eyes. We decided NOT TO GIVE DETAILS ABOUT HIS FAMILY, but to mention the people WHO HELPED HIM.
Our gratitude to Boogers family from Holland!!!!
You have offered Adrian not only the chance to finish the school by paying him the tuition fees, but also you have offered him the possibility to stay for two more years in the state's care.
In such poor countries as Romania, a person like Adrian has probably no chance to survive without any help. His salary covers only the basic needs but he cannot afford to rent a room. (He is working in a small city near Sibiu in a huge Bread factory. He is checking the ID’s of the people entering the firm’s property. The firm manager helps a lot of deinstitutionalized boys by offering them jobs. He is also paying summer camps to the Romanian seaside to all the children from the Placement Centre Agnita where Adrian grew up. Adrian earns 72 euros monthly.
Thank you Bertie and Ida Jansen, Anita van de Moll for supporting Adrian!!!!
If you can provide us any kind of help, for Adrian or for the other people to whom we are offering support, we would very much appreciate any kind of support. Any amount of money, as well as any advice for us will be welcome
Wearing a pair of blue jeans and a jacket on top of a thick blouse, Adrian is keeping his left sleeve in his pocket, to mask his infirmity. He is 26 years old, and he is the first born in the family of a famous Romanian gymnast, multiple European champion. His life seems incredible. We cannot say that his life is a movie scenario, because in this case, no writer would be so unfair with his character.
He was born with a wolf-mouth, hare lip and his left arm is missing. His right hand has only the one finger. He suffered a surgical intervention, but the doctors cannot make miracles. His parents abandoned him in the maternity, and at the age of 6 he was brought to the Placement center for orphans in Agnita (60 km from Sibiu).
His fate continued to be cruel to him: Adrian fell down and, because of his missing arm a banal fall became a terrible accident: falling with the head on a fence, a wire destroyed his left eye. At the age of 7, he suffered a triple fracture of the left leg and now he has problems in walking.
His parents happily continued their lives, pretending that Adrian never existed. They have four other children and they NEVER visited him. Adrian knows that he has a family, and not a common one, it is the family of a famous Romanian gymnast. The other boys from the orphanage, his friends, say that it was better for him not to know, because finding out he felt more rejected.
What impressed me at this boy, is that he does not hate his family, he does not blame them for their decision, he does not ask for explanations, but you cannot ignore the sadness in his eyes. We decided NOT TO GIVE DETAILS ABOUT HIS FAMILY, but to mention the people WHO HELPED HIM.
Our gratitude to Boogers family from Holland!!!!
You have offered Adrian not only the chance to finish the school by paying him the tuition fees, but also you have offered him the possibility to stay for two more years in the state's care.
In such poor countries as Romania, a person like Adrian has probably no chance to survive without any help. His salary covers only the basic needs but he cannot afford to rent a room. (He is working in a small city near Sibiu in a huge Bread factory. He is checking the ID’s of the people entering the firm’s property. The firm manager helps a lot of deinstitutionalized boys by offering them jobs. He is also paying summer camps to the Romanian seaside to all the children from the Placement Centre Agnita where Adrian grew up. Adrian earns 72 euros monthly.
Thank you Bertie and Ida Jansen, Anita van de Moll for supporting Adrian!!!!
If you can provide us any kind of help, for Adrian or for the other people to whom we are offering support, we would very much appreciate any kind of support. Any amount of money, as well as any advice for us will be welcome
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