The Romanian Aid Foundation & Asociatia Neemia

 
The information given in this page was correct at the time of preparation. However, in the current circumstances, regulations and activities can change on a daily basis and it is not possible to keep these pages entirely up to date. Please refer to our “Please Note” page for the latest information.

 
In the UK all activities involving person-to-person contact including packing and transport have been suspended during the present crisis:
– Friday packing sessions are suspended;
– Normal warehouse activities are suspended;
– Team meetings are moving to digital media;
– Lorry departures are postponed.
The monthly Prayer Notes and the websites will continue to be published as normal.
You can keep up to date via our website link above.

RoAF has provided funding to enable Beni to take the opportunity of a relatively empty warehouse to do some redecoration there, and also funds to facilitate the repair of the warehouse roof before the winter. This latter work will require craftsmen with appropriate skills, many of whom are currently unable to work officially.

The work of AN has not stopped during this period of emergency. We did reduce the hours of work, but we kept the office and shop open. Some clouds have silver linings! We have been able to use this opportunity when we have limited stocks in the warehouse to re-organise the way in which items are stored there and to dispose of articles that no longer have any prospect of being useful. Thanks to funding from the UK we are able to do some repairs and redecorating, with some of our beneficiaries and Casa Neemia residents helping with that work.

We have been able to keep the shop open with limited hours. Many of our usual customers are reluctant to spend much at present so we have kept the prices at ‘sales’ level. The shop has continued to cover its costs but it is not able to contribute much to the other activities of the charity.

Laurentiu and Gabriela have continued to prepare items for needy families, within the constraints of limited stocks. The office premises are closed to visitors and donations are made in accordance with the contact restrictions that are currently in place.

After many months of near-drought (and minimal winter snow) we now have had two weeks of more regular rainfall. Our crops at the warehouse and at Casa Neemia have benefited from this rain but below the top level much of the soil remains very dry. This suggests that the final quality of the crops will not be of the standard of previous years. As mentioned last month, we have been able to acquire some food stocks locally, at discounted prices, and have been able to distribute them to our families.

Restrictions on movements and gatherings mean that it is not possible to have the children’s camp at Voronet this month. We are looking at options later in the summer but it seems highly likely that there will be no camp this year. This will be a major disappointment for the children who had been looking forward to their annual holiday in the mountains.

This month’s featured photos

• Renovations at the warehouse
• A season for new life
• Diligent gardeners at Casa Neemia

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.

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, May 2020