Romania is a nation of two halves. Relative wealth in the city has not trickled out to the countryside. Rural poverty, with a lack of work opportunities, leaves families struggling to feed their families even with the basics. In desperation, parents will often leave their children with grandparents and go abroad looking for work. This puts huge stress on ageing carers as they try to care for a young family.
Key Stats
Population:
18.3 million
Life expectancy:
76.3 years
Below poverty line:
23.8%
Average schooling:
14 years
Literacy rate:
98.9%
Stats from The World Factbook.
Feeding the hungry in Romania
Bread of Life, our partners in Romania, work through church networks to care for impoverished families. Their Family Support Centre in Brostini helps households struggling to feed or support their children. Often, their children are malnourished because of the lack of food. Through the support centre, they will offer accommodation to one or two children from a family, lifting some of the burden from overstretched parents and grandparents. This is often just what families need, enabling them to get back on their feet and stabilise their finances, while maintaining connection with their looked-after children.
Food for the vulnerable
Alongside this high-level support, Bread of Life provides food for over 3,000 children through Feed The Hungry UK. This is administered through local feeding centres throughout Romania, each administered by a local church. For half the children receiving food, this support is critical as they are malnourished. The remaining children receive either seasonal support outside of harvest time or support during a family crisis.
Just outside Bucharest, a family with 2 young children and a new baby are struggling.
Both parents have learning difficulties in a nation that offers little extra support for people with disabilities. The family of 5 live in a single-room tin hut. Heating is provided from an open fire in the middle of the hut, filling the room with smoke.
The parents struggled to find suitable employment or access the help that is available because of their learning difficulties. They also struggled to care for their children, not understanding the importance of proper food and nourishment.
A local church built a relationship with this family to support them. They started by providing them with a proper home on a piece of land purchased for them. Food parcels from Feed The Hungry UK gave the family a respite. Now they have time, energy and support to build a better life for themselves.
Working with local organisations
As well as our work with Bread of Life, we are building a partnership with a Romanian foodbank. Working alongside them, we can supply food to them while helping them build up a national support base for the foodbank. These local networks are vital for helping families out of poverty.
Regular gifts from just a few pounds a month help us develop our work in Romania, with organisations such as Bread of Life and the Romanian foodbank. With your help, we can feed more hungry children and see more families find stability.
Help impoverished families in Romania find their feet and vulnerable children access regular food. A regular gift makes a sustained difference for families in need.
