The date is chosen, the arguments intensify, the day draws near with a great deal of hot air in high places and finally – another non-Brexit day passes with much energy expended and so little achieved. Compare this with a RoAF loading day: everybody working together in a common cause, the only debates are about what fits best into the available space, the hot air comes from the efforts of those involved and the final outcome is that a lot of people will benefit from the day’s activity.
October has seemed to be a very long month – the individual days have passed quickly enough but in total it feels like it has passed slowly. Nevertheless, a lot has been accomplished. Last month AN distributed items totalling some £6,700 in local equivalent value to 200 households; this was primarily clothing and food but also included furniture, medical equipment, gardening tools and other household items.
Each year we aim to raise a crop on the land adjoining the warehouse with the intention of having additional food to donate to our registered families. Earlier this year we planted sunflowers and in October, with the help of a local farmer, we harvested enough seeds to obtain some 500 litres of sunflower oil. The seeds were pressed at a local mill and we also received two van-loads of solid by-product. This is highly nutritious and is passed on to households for feeding to pigs or fowl.
School children are usually expected to provide their own exercise books and stationery whilst other classroom resources are often funded by teachers or parents. We regularly receive donations of school books, stock surpluses, misprints and printer’s offcuts which we can pass on.
The AN team has a wide variety of expertise which allows us to co-ordinate or participate in projects outside the day-to-day activities of aid donation. In October, we contributed to two privately funded projects for particular families. In Dimacheni a dilapidated house was replaced (see October’s Notes) whilst in Horlaceni a well was dug for use by two families who currently rely largely on collected rainwater. Access limitations at the site meant that the 19 metre deep well had to be dug using manually operated equipment, with the addition weight of an operator sitting on top.
EU policies designed to protect Romania’s natural forests have led to a steep increase in the price of firewood.
Outside of the major cities the majority of households rely on wood for heating, especially as the price of other forms of energy make them too expensive for regular use. Thanks to specific sponsorship, we have managed to acquire a limited amount of firewood for a few families this winter but we are not able to provide for all those who ask.
A reminder – Like it or not, Christmas is coming! Each year, AN distributes several thousand gift boxes to needy households in the area around Dorohoi. This year’s boxes have already started arriving in Dorohoi but there is still another opportunity to send boxes but they should be with the Horley team without further delay.
This month’s featured photos
- Loading and unloading by volunteers
- New exercise books
- Digging a well at Horlaceni
- Processing the sunflower crop
Photo Gallery: Click on any of the photos for enlargements, more details or similar photos.
Last month’s performance statistics
These statistics give a snapshot of our aid-related activities last month.
[table id=<20> /]
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.
