About one of the families that we support.......

Mother - 24 Father - 25 Daughter - 3 Son - 6 months

This family live in a converted animal shed which has housed pigs, cows and a horse in the past. It is situated behind the husband's mother's house. It has a mud floor which is always damp. The ceiling is hardboard with no insulation and the roof leaks. The room measures 3m x 3m max. and is barely 2m high. There is one small window which provides very little light. The husband has built a very basic porch which is loose fitting wooden boards. They are infested with ants and have mice running about during the night as it is a mud brick house which is collapsing at ground level.

As rent, they pay half the electric bill of the mother's house although they only have a socket with one light bulb in which runs from the house. They have lived here for 7 years and have been told it will be at least 9 years before they can be re-housed.

We first met this family during the winter when they came for a meal at the Centre and asked if we could help them. The temperature at that time was about -20C and there was thick snow around and the mother was in considerable distress because her baby (then 2 months old) was quite ill and needed to go to Hospital. One of the reasons for the mother's distress was the year previously during the winter she had a child of 2 1/2 months that died in her arms due to the cold. This child is currently in a special hospital in a nearby town because he is so undersize for his age and the Hospital have said that they will not release the child until their living conditions are improved. The husband is only able to get occasional work helping a neighbour with his land so consequently there is no regular income.

We are helping this family as much as we are able to improve their conditions by providing food, clothes, a gas bottle and gas ring, helping with the cost of the electric, medicines and transport to and from the hospital (30km away) and, of course, regular meals at the Centre. This family is also now receiving regular monthly support from the UK.

UPDATE:

In early 2004, a group from the Isle of Man read the article in our newsletter (No.13 - March 2004) about this family and decided that they would like to help and thus bought a plot of land just outside Dorohoi. In the summer of that year they came and built a two room house for the family who moved into in October that year. We manage the land and house on behalf of the Isle of Man charity. The family live rent free as well as the electricity being paid for them.

They are being encouraged to grow food for themselves on the land and they have been provided with tools and seed. They have planted potatoes, onions, garlic, cob corn, and beans. We will buy for the Centre any food that is surplus to their requirements which we pass on to the families we help. The aim is to help them to become more self sufficient.

As can be seen from the photos they are a lot happier and healthier.

About a second family that we support.......

In 2004 we were asked to visit Vasilica’s house which is owned by the town. He lives in one room with his wife, child and his wifes mother and 5 sisters. The house has 2 rooms that they pay rent for, but one of the rooms (as you can see from the photo) was uninhabitable. The room they live in is approximately 4 metres by 5 metres so you can imagine that it is a little crowded!

The second room has a dirt floor, no doors or windows, the walls are collapsing and the roof is falling in, and it was being used as a rubbish area. The town has no money to repair it, but they are still pay rent for the whole house.

We are currently (May 2005) helping him with materials so that he can prop up the roof and rebuild the walls, put windows and doors in, and concrete the floor making it habitable for himself, his wife and child. In return for this help Vasilica does some work for us at the Centre when needed.