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The Roma are a very marginalised community in Romania - as in most places. We are privileged to be involved with those who live in a village about 10 miles from Radauti; this particular community are not travellers, nor do they use a Roma language. They are exceedingly poor - even by Romanian standards - living in miserable conditions, with high unemployment, and low school attendance.
Our involvement has been through Papa, who has set up a Baptist church (called “Hope Church”) in the village from scratch. Attendance is good, especially among the children, and Papa has provided all sorts of invaluable lifestyle teaching. Local Roma themselves now take positions of responsibility within the church, and other Romanians have become involved too.
Breaking down barriers between people is a key aspect of the Gospel, and a key value of ours - and is a piece of “Good News” particularly needed in Romania.
Papa has done a huge amount of renovation work, to provide decent housing for families, and has even brought it an electricity supply and provided a village water tap. His own health is not really up to too much “hands on” stuff now, though he is still an effective foreman!
Huge progress has been made in getting the Roma children into the local school, which is vital for their futures. There are still huge obstacles to overcome though, not least being the lack of hope about future employment.
Hannah are also involved to some extent, through the clothing project and children’s camps.
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