Unlike much of the rest of Europe, this area of Romania has been experiencing above-average rainfall. We have not yet had the excessive temperatures of other years and the warm wet season has brought a prospect of good crops – the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye. However, this is not without its problems as the strong growth and moist soil tend to complicate the use of heavy harvesting machinery and once again the small-holder with his horse-drawn cart does rather better.
Of course, the abundance of crops is of limited help to those who have no land to work or no money to buy them. This year to date, we have given out over 6 tons of food to families and individuals. Most of this food has come from donors in the UK but some has been grown on land at our warehouse and at Casa Neemia. The construction of the polytunnel has increased the productivity of the garden and some of the residents have become competent in the various tasks involved. They do not eat all the vegetables and that leaves a surplus to be donated. An offer has been received from a person willing to show interested residents how to preserve some of the produce for consumption during the winter.
The recent inspection of Casa Neemia resulted in some additional work, primarily related to changes in legislation during the construction period. The main requirement was additional fire-resistant under-cladding to the ceiling of the upper floor; this work has been completed and procedures are in hand to obtain the final approval before the end of this month.
Finally, it may be mid-summer for most of us in the northern hemisphere but logistical processes mean that we will soon have to start the preparations for this year’s Christmas gift box distribution.
This month’s featured photos
- Clothing and stationery – forward thinking for the next school term.
- Fresh vegetables from the garden at Casa Neemia.
- Christmas gift boxes – a mid-summer reminder!
Last month’s performance statistics
These statistics give a snapshot of our aid-related activities last month.
[table id=<11> /]
Stats notes:
– Joiners are new registrants this month, Leavers are are those whose latest recorded donation was 12 months ago.
– Value of stock includes items which have been used in AN projects but not yet written out of these accounts.
– Items marked as “?” are awaiting final returns for the month.
