Support of needy families and refugees in Romania and Moldova

Tour to Romania and Moldova April and May 2022

After the projects have been supervised since autumn mainly by our friends in the different countries on the spot (India, Nepal, Laos, Kurdistan, Romania, Moldova and also here in Germany) it was now possible for us to travel again.

This time the team consisting of Andreas, Benno and Thomas first flew to Romania, Cluj. There the three were already expected by our friend Adrian. Together with him they visited the different stations. There was also a reunion with our friends Roxanna, Simona and Cosmina - unfortunately without Silvestru, who left us forever in winter ...

After a few days in Romania, we continue by car to Moldova. There the team will be received by our Moldavian friends Christina, Vitali, Igor, Victor, Petru and many more. During the next days we will visit many families in the city of Calarasi and in the surrounding villages. And also numerous refugees from Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled to this small country and have been welcomed here by the kind people.

You can find pictures in the photo album or always in the Telegram channel https://t.me/friendshelpfriends.

Here is a report by Thomas:

"Andreas, Benno and Thomas arrived in Cluj, Romania on April 22 and met with our local Romanian supporters who select and also personally know the households we will visit. The local organization Lords Army is currently serving 177 single old women there, for whom the monthly aid of 4 euros is no longer sufficient to buy the basic necessities due to high inflation. We have pledged an additional 6 euros per case so that at least the most important aid can be provided for the next six months.  

Not far from the technology metropolis of Cluj, we meet people who live in the poorest conditions and often do not know how to pay for food and heating material, which is also constantly becoming more expensive due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Irina, 63 years old, is raising 5 small grandchildren alone in a hut with 2 rooms into which it rains and which can hardly be heated. Her two daughters live abroad and cannot take care of them. She has no fixed income. We were able to help her by covering the cost of roof repairs and giving a gift for groceries.

The example is typical of the situation of the families we visited. Leaky houses, dampness, no fixed heating, and therefore often health problems with very low household income, in the range of 100 to 500 €, which must be enough for many mouths.
In addition, some families, including those who barely have enough to live on themselves, have also taken in Ukrainian refugees, as there are often family ties to families in the neighboring country.

In Moldova, the situation was often even more dramatic. In many districts, the unpaved roads are soaked and muddy from the rain. The houses often leak or are unstable and even in danger of collapse.
So one highlight was that we were able to officially hand over a newly built little house to an old couple, for which the Rotary Club had donated €8000 after our visit last year. Planning and construction was done free of charge and with local helpers.

We would also like to highlight the day on which we visited a total of 15 families together with the very committed mayor of Lozova, a small community about 1h away from the capital. In addition to our emergency aid for food and heating material, he promised ad-hoc additional support from the community and directly "lent a hand".

It was very touching to see how committed most of the families are to work so that they can create more stable conditions and free themselves from immediate need. To be able to contribute to this and to feel the gratitude was the reward for the three of us."

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