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Caring Hands Reach Romanians Of All Ages
Deserted by her parents, the fragile newborn ended up in an overcrowded Romanian orphanage -- there were no available cribs for her. Elsewhere, a pregnant woman wandered the streets after being thrown out by her husband; alone and poor, an elderly man didn't know where his next meal was going to come from. See how these lives experienced the touch of a caring hand...
Who knew cold silver metal could be fashioned into an instrument of warmth for Romanian infants and toddlers! Packed in two large shipping containers, 44 cribs and mattresses safely made their way from the shores of the USA to Romania early last fall. Impressed with the quality of the cribs, OBI Romania's Liviu Neagoe delivered five to a safe-haven for desperate pregnant women called River of Life. Program directors Doug and Roberta were overjoyed. Their home was in desperate need for furniture. Many of River of Life's residents had been thrown out by husbands who were fearful of not being able to provide for their expanding families. Cribs were also given to a maternity ward in a Luogoj hospital as well as an orphanage. Both were in short supply of beds for their patients and orphans. With their hair tussled, it's heart-warming to see these little ones sleep comfortably.
Each year, Liviu, his wife Mariana, a dedicated staff of 16 and approximately 50 volunteers extend caring hands to countless Romanians in need. In 2001, more than 20 orphanages all over Romania received humanitarian aid in the form of food, clothing, cribs, blankets and many other important items shipped from the USA. Severely handicapped orphans living outside of Timosoara received blankets and thermal underwear to shield them from the cold winter months. Seven hundred girls living in a orphanage, received thermal underwear and clothing items. As part of the Back-To-School program, 200 notebooks were also given to orphans to prepare them for school. Paper, underwear and new clothing items are just too expensive for most orphanage's meager budgets. It takes everything and more to feed and shelter these boys and girls.
Many Romanian elderly can relate with the orphanages' plight. They face the challenge of finding their next meal each day. It's been almost a year since OBI Romania began its soup kitchen project. Multiple sites hosted in Timosoara churches have already doubled their capacity to meet the immense need. Many of the elderly try to survive on pensions the equivalent of less than $50 a month. It is for these desperate and lonely one that the soup kitchen project was started. "There's a desperate need to help seniors," Liviu commented. "No project has touched my heart like this one. It's impossible not to cry when visiting the soup kitchen. We want to minister to them like they are our [own] parents."
There is no other project reaching the elderly like this in Timisoara. But after seeing the incredible effect churches were having on those coming for daily meals, the community has embraced the project too. A bakery donates bread Monday through Friday. A local butcher donates meat each day. Churches and their parishioners give fresh and canned vegetables. In a land were volunteerism is a new concept, other churches are now considering joining the effort by starting soup kitchens for the elderly living near them!
And Liviu, OBI's dedicated coordinator in Romania, serves in this volunteer capacity to help young and old alike. He often works 80 to 100 hours in a week to support his family and then to help the poor all around. But a deep conviction motivate him. He often tells the story of an encounter he had two years ago. Liviu was passing out bags of white beans to those in need. One elderly lady came up to him to express her gratitude as she explained that this bag of beans would have to last her two months. "I couldn't escape from her words," expressed this husband and father. "My life belongs to this place. I'm an extension of Operation Blessing."
There are dozens of dedicated extensions like Liviu all over the world.
Please help OBI and its volunteers continue to extend a caring hand to those in need today...
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