The Romanian Aid Foundation & Asociatia Neemia

This month signifies 30 years since the first aid lorry and the experiences which eventually led to the foundation of the Romanian Aid Foundation and Asociatia Neemia – so much for a ‘one-off’ venture!

Our thanks go to those who have responded so generously to our request for help for the refugees from the war in Ukraine. We sent one lorry at the end of March with clothing, bedding and food, and with an additional donation of new mattresses. With these items we will be able to provide for the refugees as well as continuing our usual donations to local people.

The main activity of the AN team this past month has been expanding the facilities that we can offer to refugees passing through this area. The initial design of Casa Neemia included a large attic space, in anticipation of the eventual expansion of the accommodation.

We have received generous funding which has allowed us to make good progress with the preparation of the new rooms. There are two rooms, each capable of providing accommodation for up to four people; each room has its en-suite bathroom and a small kitchen unit where, for example, a family could prepare some food independently of that on offer in the main dining room. The other facilities of the house will, of course, be available to them.

This work is now nearing completion, a fire resistant staircase has been installed along with other safety measures and we are waiting for the final approval to start using the new rooms.

In our experience to date, the refugees fall into one of three groups.
> There are those who are grateful for the opportunity for rest and refreshment, and then want to move on; we have been able to help them in this way using our existing facilities.
> There are others who want to stay close to the border, with the intention of going back to rebuild their country as soon as it is safe to do so.
> There is a third group; those who have nowhere to go on to and nowhere to go back to. Often they have brought very little with them; they need the most help, especially those who have been traumatised by their experiences.
In co-operation with other charities and individuals we are working at ways of helping the second and third groups on a longer term too. We trust that our visitors will find peace of mind as well as satisfaction of their physical needs.

In addition to assisting the refugees we have continued with our normal aid distribution. Our staff and existing residents have responded well to the additional workload and disruption.

This month’s featured photos

• A full load, with bedding and mattresses
• A new bathroom nears completion
• Laying the flooring

Last month’s statistics

Stats notes:
– Joiners are new registrants this month, Leavers are are those whose latest recorded donation was 12 months ago.
– Some households may receive more than one donation during a month (eg, repeat donations of food).
– Items shown as 0 or as “…” are awaiting final returns for the month.

 
Previous month’s news, March 2022