january 2022 newsletter
christmas trip report
Happy New Year to you all. This month we bring you a summary of the Christmas trip.
A team of 10 volunteers travelled over to Moldova, just after Christmas to deliver over 1,400 shoebox gifts and food parcels, plus medical items and aids.
TEECH were lucky enough to hire an 18 tonne lorry from Trott Rentals in Norwich, to add to the convoy, also made up of the TEECH lorry and TEECH van. 7 of the volunteers drove out to Moldova, leaving from Harwich on the 26th December and arriving in Moldova on the 30th (about 2am). The journey plans altered on route due to COVID-19 rules in Romania, which had changed just a few days before and the team needing to be through the country within 24 hours. It turned out to be about 29 hours, without question at the border, so all was well.
3 volunteers then flew over to Moldova and we all joined up in Balti ready to start deliveries from the 31st. We were lucky enough to be joined by Dorina for most of the trip, joining us for the 6th year, after meeting TEECH back in 2015 when the school bathroom project was completed in her home village of Bolduresti. Iulia, also from Bolduresti, was able to join us for the last day after she had travelled back from college in Romania. Throughout the trip the charity was also supported by Romeo, with paperwork, transport and translation.
The team spent the week visiting the villages of Rispeni, Bocsa, Slobozia-Sirauti (2021 project), Hasnasenii Noi (2018 project), Marinesti, Cotiujeni Mici, Anenii Noi (children’s centre), Gradinita (2021 project), Copanca, Nisporeni and Bolduresti (2015 project).
Santa visited each location and many of the photos can be viewed in the gallery by clicking here. We hope you get a good feel of the trip from the photos which are in two sections, showing house deliveries and then shoebox gifts.
Many of the medical items were delivered to a few hospitals, with walking aids etc given to villages. The team took hundreds of photos but we have tried to choose just a selection for the website.
We would like to thank all those who took the time to make up shoeboxes for the children and the team who came along to hand them out. Some of the distribution was completed outside but luckily the weather was mild (for Moldovan standards), with only snow on our first few days, soon melting and becoming muddy for walking around the villages to deliver food to the elderly.
The journey home started on Thursday 7th January, all going to plan until the last day when many a roadwork in Germany caused hours of delay, plus limited ferry crossings from Calais back to Dover, resulted in the lorry drivers running out of driving hours on arrival in England on Sunday morning. Once again tweaks to the plans were made and everyone made it home on the Sunday afternoon.
A team of 10 volunteers travelled over to Moldova, just after Christmas to deliver over 1,400 shoebox gifts and food parcels, plus medical items and aids.
TEECH were lucky enough to hire an 18 tonne lorry from Trott Rentals in Norwich, to add to the convoy, also made up of the TEECH lorry and TEECH van. 7 of the volunteers drove out to Moldova, leaving from Harwich on the 26th December and arriving in Moldova on the 30th (about 2am). The journey plans altered on route due to COVID-19 rules in Romania, which had changed just a few days before and the team needing to be through the country within 24 hours. It turned out to be about 29 hours, without question at the border, so all was well.
3 volunteers then flew over to Moldova and we all joined up in Balti ready to start deliveries from the 31st. We were lucky enough to be joined by Dorina for most of the trip, joining us for the 6th year, after meeting TEECH back in 2015 when the school bathroom project was completed in her home village of Bolduresti. Iulia, also from Bolduresti, was able to join us for the last day after she had travelled back from college in Romania. Throughout the trip the charity was also supported by Romeo, with paperwork, transport and translation.
The team spent the week visiting the villages of Rispeni, Bocsa, Slobozia-Sirauti (2021 project), Hasnasenii Noi (2018 project), Marinesti, Cotiujeni Mici, Anenii Noi (children’s centre), Gradinita (2021 project), Copanca, Nisporeni and Bolduresti (2015 project).
Santa visited each location and many of the photos can be viewed in the gallery by clicking here. We hope you get a good feel of the trip from the photos which are in two sections, showing house deliveries and then shoebox gifts.
Many of the medical items were delivered to a few hospitals, with walking aids etc given to villages. The team took hundreds of photos but we have tried to choose just a selection for the website.
We would like to thank all those who took the time to make up shoeboxes for the children and the team who came along to hand them out. Some of the distribution was completed outside but luckily the weather was mild (for Moldovan standards), with only snow on our first few days, soon melting and becoming muddy for walking around the villages to deliver food to the elderly.
The journey home started on Thursday 7th January, all going to plan until the last day when many a roadwork in Germany caused hours of delay, plus limited ferry crossings from Calais back to Dover, resulted in the lorry drivers running out of driving hours on arrival in England on Sunday morning. Once again tweaks to the plans were made and everyone made it home on the Sunday afternoon.
Once again we would like to thank the following for their support, monetary donations and shoeboxes:
- Felstead Aid for face masks, shields and much more
- UCH Logistics for face masks, hoodies, blankets and other new clothing
- Old Buckenham Hall School, Suffolk
- Sathya Sai Organisation - Region 2 UK for food parcels
- Rotary Club of Ipswich
- Rotary Club of Billericay Mayflower
- Christchurch, Clacton
- All Angels Federation, Norfolk Schools, for chairs and shoeboxes
- Roddy Philip
- Alan & Gel Bilby
- Stuart Road Primary Academy, Plymouth
- Land Registry, Plymouth
- The Griggs Family for ongoing support
- Cylch Hwyl a Gwaith (Fun & Work Circle), Wales
- And the many individuals who have donated shoeboxes
- Signs Made Easy, Clacton for completing free signage on the TEECH trailer
- SLP Autos for the free MOT and Servicing of the Van
- Trott Rentals for the hire of the 18T lorry for the trip
- Elite Truck & Trailer Repairs Ltd for repairs to the TEECH lorry
clothing and other donations
TEECH are no longer looking to take bulky medical items, therefore please ask before donating anything of this nature.
Clothing donations are welcome but as mentioned in prior newsletters, please ensure they are clean and in good condition before passing them onto us to sort. Ideally clothing for children more than adults. All clothing will go into the free shop in the summer for volunteers to hand out to locals, therefore the clothing needs to be in a good condition to pass on.
Please also remember that we can not take large plastic toys to Romania or Moldova.
Thanks
Clothing donations are welcome but as mentioned in prior newsletters, please ensure they are clean and in good condition before passing them onto us to sort. Ideally clothing for children more than adults. All clothing will go into the free shop in the summer for volunteers to hand out to locals, therefore the clothing needs to be in a good condition to pass on.
Please also remember that we can not take large plastic toys to Romania or Moldova.
Thanks
