FEBRUARY 2018
FAMILIES IN CRISIS: Romania Meet Marius A. (pictured right), one of our coordinators from the Valcea region in south-central Romania. Marius is responsible for 170+ children and 24 families in this region and says: “This is one of the toughest areas we work in. People here are so poor they do not have time to think about anything else but food and shelter. There is a lot to do if we are to impact the community.” Thousands of children living especially in the rural areas are on the edge of survival, of illiteracy and are without hopes for the future. Their parents are unable to provide for them and thus the children are neglected and vulnerable. Through our “Child Rescue International (CRI) in Community” program we aim to meet the basic needs of orphaned, abandoned and “at risk” children, offering them the chance for education, social and spiritual guidance. During winter, the Roma people in this village struggle to survive, often going to bed hungry and cold. They find comfort in each other from an early age in this close-knit community and education is often neglected so that young people can help at home or find work.
A monthly commitment of just $35 can help bring a child hope for a better future.
Ioana (left) and Veronica (right) are cousins and best friends. They do everything together and share whatever they can between them. They help their parents cook and take care of the little ones. Just 13 years old, their futures should be full of possibility. But in the community where they live, many girls marry young and do not finish school, and hunger & hardship seem an inescapable fact of life. Roma girls tend to start relationships and have children while they are still very young. Almost none of them finish school. The day is coming soon when Veronica and Ioana are likely to do the same. The material, emotional, educational and spiritual investment we make in the lives of children like these are long-term targets, all contributing to their personal integrity and sustainability in the future, ultimately into their adult lives.
All the social activities, summer camps, coordinator visits, material support, and much more provided by MWB is meant to teach our beneficiaries how to live a successful life.
Veronica’s mother has been trying to convince her daughter to work hard at school and prioritize education. She said, “I tell her, don’t let boys near you, don’t let them inside your heart, fooling you into loving them. We fought long and hard to make her understand she has to go to school and learn.” These families live in what are basically “shacks”, broken down and repaired in many places, with heavy stones holding down parts of the roof or corkboard used to seal off a broken window. Unfinished roofs gape open over the top of the buildings and inside, light and drafts make their way inside through large gaps. Concrete floors are uneven and rugs are used on the walls and floors to try and keep the places warm. Outside, bottles, bits of material, old tires and other rubbish litter the banks of a shallow stream that runs alongside the village.
Mission Without Borders partners with a local church in the region to try and change the children’s mentality through faith. One of the pastor’s daughters holds weekly meetings with children where she encourages them to go to school and teaches them important life lessons. The girls and their families have received warm clothing and footwear, as well as Operation Christmas Love food parcels this winter. Our aim is to help this community from the ground up. That means we must first provide basic needs before we can dive deeper into changing the way they think, to see the community transform. Veronica and Ioana can choose education and a better future – or succumb to the pressures of their culture and the poverty around them.
They need our help if they are to fulfill their potential and move out of the poverty they find themselves in. With poverty damaging so many, we seek to make a real, long-term difference in people's lives. All donations for this month’s campaign will go where needed most to help and support the poorest, most vulnerable children and families across Eastern Europe. As always, we deeply appreciate your ongoing support— both financially & in prayer! Sincerely,
VERONICA’S MOTHER BESIDE THEIR STOVE, USED FOR COOKING & HEATING
MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS CANADA OFFICE LOCATION #4-30465 Progressive Way, Abbotsford EMAIL mwbcanada@mwbi.org | www.mwbca.org
Bonnie Borowetz SPONSORSHIP COORDINATOR MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS CANADA
TOLL FREE 1-800-494-4454 | LOCAL (ABBOTSFORD) 604-855-9126 MAILING ADDRESS Box 2007, Abbotsford, BC V2T 3T8 Follow us on Facebook at “Mission Without Borders Canada”
Donations and Sponsorships will be used where most needed to effectively help individuals, families and communities.