ROMANIA UPDATE
The newsletter of Romania Care
July 2001

This issue of Romania Update is intended to keep you well informed about our plans for this summer and give you information to enable you to pray purposefully for our teams in Romania and Moldova this year.

We are firstly able to share two items of very good news.:

BRITISH AMBASSADOR'S VISIT

We are delighted that Richard Ralph, The British Ambassador to Romania, is to spend the day of Friday July 27th in the Suceava area at the invitation of Romania Care. He will see first hand the work we have done at Fintinele and hear of our plans for Ilisesti.

This is a time when we are going to endeavour to bring together as many of the British companies working in the area, to show them what we have managed to achieve and to invite them to be a part of our plans for the future.

For all of us this is a very special visit, we will report on the outcome in our next edition

CHRISTMAS 2001 SHOEBOX APPEAL LAUNCHED

See relevent page on this web site for futher details

The 'Poor' get 'Poorer' - Now it's Official

Seven times more Romanians are now living below the poverty line than in 1989, when Communism collapsed, according to an official study released in Bucharest on Wednesday 23rd May.

The number of officially poor people was 44 percent of the population in 2000 compared to six percent in 1989, said the study, putting Romania near the bottom of the wealth stakes in Europe. Only Albania, Moldova and Russia are behind it, said Prime Minister Adrian Nastase.

Of the 44 percent below the poverty line, nearly half live in extreme poverty, according to the study. The unemployed, rural peasants and pensioners are the most poor, it said. The increase in poverty follows painful reforms aimed at building a free market, but which have left much of the economy in tatters, while social security protection cannot fill the gaps.

This report confirms our current direction focusing on the Elderly as well as our current investigations into the situation of rural peasants.

News from Pavel & Mihaela Sandu - our partners in Moldova:-

Mihaela writes : "The baby's name is RAUL-TIBERIU, he has been born on 19th of May and his weight was 3.3 kg. I spent about 20 hours in labour, but the baby refused to come out. Because the baby spent all this time without liquid, the doctor decided to operate me, so I had a caesarean. I'm glad this happened in Romania, even if I had to pay for everything, because in Moldova they do not even have the anaesthetic

Can we email you our news?

Would you like to receive this newsletter on e-mail? If so please write to phalden@RomaniaCare.com and he will arrange it from the next issue.

SUMMER TRIP TO ROMANIA & MOLDOVA

Prayer Needs

• Pray for good health - stomach upsets can be a problem for visitors to Romania and Moldova, please pray that they will not be a problem for the team!
• Pray for the visit of the British Ambassador on Friday 27th July. that we will be able to raise the profile of our work and involve the commercial sector in sponsoring our work, especially in Ilisesti
• Pray for safety in travel for all especially for those travelling to Romania for the first time without the benefit of the company of a person who has been before.
• Pray for Laurence and Peter that they would know God's leading, and that their eyes would be open to any future work God wants Romania Care to be involved with, especially in so far as the survey of the poor people around Ilisesti is concerned.
• Pray for the holiday clubs to be held in Romania (in Fintinele & Ilisesti), and in Moldova (in Ricipeni and Valea Marie).
• Pray for good working relationships with our Romanian friends and that many children would know more, and understand the meaning of God's love for them.
• Pray for the building projects (Further work on the hospital in Fintinele and work at Ilisesti for the nursing/respite care home).
• Pray for the families at home that God would watch over them while the team are away.

The team:

Laurence Biggs; Peter Halden; Sally Shaw; Kate Sawyer; Carl Slater; Rosie Ford; Ian Patience; Helen Evans; Vicky Slater; Kate Whittingham; Nick Salisbury; Frank Marsden; Margaret Wallace Judy Salisbury; Bryony Marsden; Naomi Hope; Thomas Salisbury; Hazel Atkins; Tom Smith: Paul & Lenusta Clark

HOW YOU CAN GIVE

It is now possible to give via CharityCard and Give As You Earn.

1. For a minimum donation of £10 per month you can become a "Friend of Ilisesti".
2. More details of all these ways of giving can be obtained from the office (Details at the top of the page)