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Christmas shoebox trip - 7 volunteers, over 17 days with over 1,800 gifts to hand deliver
Volunteers set off on 26th December for the 2 day drive across Europe to Romania, where the first of many deliveries would be made of the shoebox gifts and food parcels. In Romania the team visited Targu Mures, Tarlungeni and Comanesti, visiting a school and many individual families, to gain an insight into the life families live and the hardship/conditions which they face.
At each school children would gather in preparation for a visit from Santa Claus 😊 who would hand out suitable gifts for all the children and have their photo taken. Even some of the parents, teachers and mayors also asked for their photo with Santa.
The snowfall commenced on 1st January when the team had arrived in Moldova, but even the poorest European country can clear the roads and make travelling around manageable (slightly harder in the villages but digging the van out after getting stuck was all part of the adventure).
When visiting families, those chosen where identified by the Mayor and/or social workers from the village, to ensure we visited those families most in need. Food parcels were generally delivered to the elderly, providing them with enough food to sustain them for a few weeks. Winter conditioned are harsh and many people will not venture from their homes.
A visit to the project in Hasnasenii Noi provided the opportunity to see the bathrooms created by TEECH in August and ensure they were working ok. The bathrooms were in good working order and the teachers were hugely welcoming and fed us well with a buffet lunch. An addition to the girls bathroom had been made with a sofa (there is always a que in the ladies!).
Throughout our time in Romania and Moldova the hospitality was second to none with more food than we could all eat and more wine (and stronger spirits) than we could ever drink! The team were also accommodated on one night with a host family who gave up rooms in their house for the group to stay.
A visit was also made to the psychiatric hospital in Balti, to see the finished project funded by TEECH volunteers (click here for photos). The staff at the hospital are most grateful for all the changes which have been made and they continue to stretch their limited budget to continue changes elsewhere on the ward.
One lorry was loaded with medical aid for a number of hospitals, allowing the team to deliver beds, walking aids, wheelchairs, hospital supplies and much more.
Thank you goes to softfloor.co.uk who donated floor mats for the disabled children’s home in Nisporeni, with many other donators involved in creating shoebox gifts, providing food for the trip mentioned in the December newsletter.
A selection of pictures from the trip can be viewed by clicking here. Hopefully they will provide you with a good overview of the trip, the people visit and where your many gifts were received.
At each school children would gather in preparation for a visit from Santa Claus 😊 who would hand out suitable gifts for all the children and have their photo taken. Even some of the parents, teachers and mayors also asked for their photo with Santa.
The snowfall commenced on 1st January when the team had arrived in Moldova, but even the poorest European country can clear the roads and make travelling around manageable (slightly harder in the villages but digging the van out after getting stuck was all part of the adventure).
When visiting families, those chosen where identified by the Mayor and/or social workers from the village, to ensure we visited those families most in need. Food parcels were generally delivered to the elderly, providing them with enough food to sustain them for a few weeks. Winter conditioned are harsh and many people will not venture from their homes.
A visit to the project in Hasnasenii Noi provided the opportunity to see the bathrooms created by TEECH in August and ensure they were working ok. The bathrooms were in good working order and the teachers were hugely welcoming and fed us well with a buffet lunch. An addition to the girls bathroom had been made with a sofa (there is always a que in the ladies!).
Throughout our time in Romania and Moldova the hospitality was second to none with more food than we could all eat and more wine (and stronger spirits) than we could ever drink! The team were also accommodated on one night with a host family who gave up rooms in their house for the group to stay.
A visit was also made to the psychiatric hospital in Balti, to see the finished project funded by TEECH volunteers (click here for photos). The staff at the hospital are most grateful for all the changes which have been made and they continue to stretch their limited budget to continue changes elsewhere on the ward.
One lorry was loaded with medical aid for a number of hospitals, allowing the team to deliver beds, walking aids, wheelchairs, hospital supplies and much more.
Thank you goes to softfloor.co.uk who donated floor mats for the disabled children’s home in Nisporeni, with many other donators involved in creating shoebox gifts, providing food for the trip mentioned in the December newsletter.
A selection of pictures from the trip can be viewed by clicking here. Hopefully they will provide you with a good overview of the trip, the people visit and where your many gifts were received.
