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Milk makes a difference for homeless children
Children from the Christian Centre for Homeless on a field visit to meet the farmers who provide them with milk every day. |
Bóthar and its project partners Heifer International often work together to support projects around the world. In Romania, Heifer International established a project working with local farmers and homeless children in 2002. Bóthar has recently begun funding this project.
The following story was sent to Bóthar by field worker, Anca Oprita.
Lorena Alexa (8) has been living in the Christian Centre for Homeless Children in Cluj, Romania, for 2 years. The centre is one of 5 humanitarian centres cared for by Prison Fellowship Romania. It provides home and food for 45 orphaned or abandoned, homeless children and offers them a chance to attend a school in the city.
Lorena arrived in the centre with her brother Andrei (15) and sister Alexandra (10). Their parents, now divorced, had been living in a village close-by, before their mother decided to abandon her family in 2000. Their father, who works on occasional jobs in construction, was unable to support his 3 children and had to place them in the centre.
Nicknamed Loli, Lorena loves living in the centre. Playful eyes and an open smile, together with a happy, outgoing personality have turned her into the centre’s mascot. She understands that people love her and is pleased to get attention. The affection she, her brother and sister receive here is much more than they received living with their argumentative parents.
Loli is very excited about attending school. "I have a new uniform and a new pencil box, and I can’t wait to go to school!" she says, also mentioning that her favourite thing to do is walking around the city with her father, who visits often. Having decent clothes, food and a proper education in a caring environment are things that Loli, her brother and sister wouldn’t have enjoyed without the support of Prison Fellowship, Heifer International, Bóthar and Rotary International.
Talking to Bóthar, George, who works at the centre said "People don’t even realize how much your support means to these children. Before we started bringing quality food to them, they were barely surviving and had the poorest nutrition. Now, after they have been in our care for two years, a visible difference in their appearance is noticeable. They look stronger and healthier".
The Christian Centre for Homeless Children is one of the many beneficiaries of Heifer International’s Farmers Feed the Children project - a unique project that touches the lives of both poor farmers and children in need.
Throughout the years it has provided fresh farm food (milk, cheese, sour cream, chicken and eggs) to hospitalised children, orphans and children with physical or mental disabilities, and simultaneously providing farmer families in 5 villages in Central Transylvania, Romania with 80 pregnant cows.
The 60th anniversary of Heifer International, Bóthar awarded $100,000 to Heifer Romania, to be used for assisting children in need. These funds were used for purchasing 28 cows and setting up two milk collecting points for the Farmers Feed the Children project. Due to the success of this project, Bóthar is in the process of providing substantial additional funding for future phases of the project.
Last September, 30 children and youths living in the Christian Centre for Homeless Children were taken on a field visit in the project villages to see first-hand the milk plant, how the milk is produced and meet the farmers that have received cows from Heifer International and Bóthar.
The group then visited a few beneficiary farmers and their Heifer and Bóthar cows. They played with calves and had lots of fun in the open, running, picking grapes, walnuts, apples and enjoying a beautiful day in the countryside. "They don’t get to experience village life so much, as they live in the city. This idea was great!" said Magda, social assistant with Prison Fellowship Romania.
The farmers enjoyed the children's visit just as much. "My heart is breaking when I think they have to grow up all alone. At least we can help them with some quality food". She then confesses: "I am very happy with my cow; it’s giving a lot of milk. And the project milk plant pays double the price of other milk collectors. It’s a very good deal for us" said Ana Plesa (39), who received a cow in May 2005.
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