The Romanian Aid Foundation & Asociatia Neemia

We have reached the end of another year of preparing and sending items to help needy people in Romania. Including the efforts of our colleagues in south Wales, this year we were able to send goods with a value (in Romania) equivalent to some £13,500 in total. This is less that we have achieved in some years previously but it is more that we expected at the beginning of the year. These goods were donated to RoAF free of charge but transport and logistics costs have to be met so we are also very grateful to those who support us financially.

We were able to effectively empty the warehouse with the latest load. Our packing and loading teams had a small end-of-term celebration prior to Christmas but we have lots more items in the pipeline and there will be plenty for our volunteers to do in the next few months.

In December, AN enrolled in a nation-wide food bank scheme whereby a local supermarket supplies us with short-term food that is nearing its ‘best-by’ date. This is food that would otherwise be thrown away and it is given to us to pass on to families in need. There are strict rules intended to prevent the food from being returned to the public market, and some additional work is required but the benefits are worth the effort involved.

During the past year we made nearly 4,500 donations of goods to some 850 people. These goods came from the UK or were purchased locally using funds sent for that purpose. These figures include the sponsored Christmas giftbags containing groceries and some seasonal treats but do not include the supermarket donations mentioned above.

At Casa Neemia, our solar panels are making a worthwhile dent in the electricity bills. We now have the opportunity to monitor the residents’ electricity usage in their individual rooms and this too has led to a reduction of the bills.

Our house manager, Angelica, continued to provide stability and good cooking for our residents and an easily-recognisable Santa brought some presents for the Ukrainian children.

This month’s featured photos

• At the end of the year
• Fish, food and fun

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, December 2023

This Month’s Prayer Notes

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Link to this month’s Prayer Notes