Haven in Romania

News from the 'Silvia' Children. 1st-8th March 2010.

2010-06-04T13:35:00.002Z

We made our way to Piatra Neamt again(for the fifth time), looking forward to greeting our colleagues, friends and our lovely children. It's such a thrill now to hear news of the progress there and so many of the children are responding well to the learning programmes which are now in place for them.

It is great to have 'routine' in place now for our visits to the day centre. We join with centre staff in meeting all the children's parents to review their programmes. New plans are discussed and put into place. An exhausting task for all of us, where we all work long hours to write and then translate all the paperwork. In time, we hope the centre staff will feel confident to take the lead in this process, but for now, a high level of support is needed from us. Please join with us in praying about this need.

One or two of the children have had a topsy-turvy time since our last visit. Luana has been attending a local state kindergarten, but the placement has broken down. She will be returning to the Silvia Day Centre. This is a familiar tale. Please pray with us that Romanian schools will develop a more inclusive environment for 'special' children.

Andrei presented as a very unhappy little boy last Autumn when we saw him. He has since been diagnosed as severely hearing impaired. His new hearing aids have turned him into a different child. Please pray with us that he will be able to make up for the 'lost time' in his development.

It has become appropriate for us to introduce some manual signs to some of our children who are not able to communicate orally. We therefore enjoyed a lively meeting with some members of the local deaf community ascertaining the signs we needed (from Romanian sign language). A fun-filled session followed, where we taught the signs to centre staff so that they can be used routinely with the children. We are working closely with the Makaton International organisation on this, as there is no formal Makaton signs yet for Romania. We may be pioneers in this area! Please pray with us that the use of signing will enable our children to communicate more freely.

Finally, there has been a very exciting development for the day centre. Local government has offered us the land immediately in front of the centre to extend the premises. There is even a grant which may well be made available for the building costs. This is very much a step of faith for us as the running costs for a larger building would significantly increase the charity's monthly budget. This is a huge challenge for us all and we are seeking God's guidance about how to proceed with this.

Please join with us in praying about God's vision for our building and how to use the resources wisely.

Thank you all so much for your kindness, love and praying support. We are planning our next visit for October. Please pray with us as we plan ahead.

Maggie Anderson and Linda Edgell.

Please pray for the team visiting the foundations from June 6th to 13th and for the Summer mission team leaving on the 20th August 2010.

Fund Raising Concert May 15th 2010.

2010-03-15T10:49:00.003Z

News!! Acoustic Guitar Duo better known as Inside Out will be holding a fund raising concert for the charity on Saturday May 15th 2010 at the Columbine Centre, Walton on the Naze, Essex. Admission £7 (£6 concession) available from the Columbine Centre 01255 851680.

New contact list

2010-03-15T10:19:00.003Z

Our grateful thanks to Mr. Dave Yu, Mrs. Ann Norman and Mrs. Ann Ellis who have now resigned as Trustees.

Our new Trustees are now: Mrs. Sylvia Brown Founder Trustee & Secretary. Rev. A. Cardy 01255 679585. Mrs. J. Richardson 01206 211481 and Mr. Vasile Bursuc (Romania). 0040 233 233 890.

The 'Silvia' Day Centre - The next chapter (March 1st - 8th 2009)

2009-04-09T14:46:00.002Z

I can hardly believe that it had been a whole year since our last visit to Piatra Neamt. Dr. Maggie Anderson and I had been to visit the children and staff at the Silvia Day Centre on two previous occasions - October 2007 and February 2008. We believe there is such potential for the centre, in becoming a 'centre of excellence' in caring for and educating children with disabilities. It has been such a challenge to communicate this belief to our colleagues in Romania, where there is little (or no) training or resources for those who teach 'special' children.

Following our first two visits, it was clear that staff from the centre really needed to 'catch the vision' we have for them. So the plan unfolded for Doina and Olimpia (two of the teachers) to visit the UK to see for themselves what might be possible for the children in their care. What an inspiring week we shared with them in November (2008), visiting schools with children who have special learning needs: mainstream primary, secondary and special schools. They were overwhelmed by the loving, yet purposeful way children were being educated. So much information was shared that week, and there was much excitement for the future - Praise God!

And so... it was with excitement and anticipation that we returned to Romania in March of this year. We were able to take with us a new team member this time - Kevin Davies. Kevin is the ICT manager at Shorefields Special School and has a bottomless pit of knowledge about technology! He worked tirelessly throughout the week, setting up a suite of computers for the children, getting them all online too. Kevin has already become a bit of a celebrity there, and I don't think we can return without him! It seems God has provided for our needs, including ones that we didn't even know we had.

Our week-long visit was packed full with appointments, and turned out to be even busier than ever. Maggie's expertise in Austic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is becoming renowned locally, and she was able to deliver a number of training sessions for local teachers and other professionals. There was even a 45-minute interview with her on live television! Time was also spent sharing the concerns of parents, and discussing their children's needs. We spent an afternoon with parents/carers of children with Down Syndrome, answering questions, sharing information, offering support.

A highlight of the week for me was the opportunity to visit Cristina in her local state school, and to talk at length with her teacher about her educational needs. This is such a valuable partnership, which the school is anxious to continue. They receive no information, advice, support or resources from the local authority, and so are very mch 'finding their way' in educating Cristina. This would be true for other children with Down Syndrome, like Cristina, in their local state schools.

Our main aim for our most recent visit to the Silvia Day Centre was to work with the children, staff and parents to write an individual learning plan for each of the children. This proved quite a challenge with the time constraints, but with God's enabling, we did it! We are hugely aware that we are all on a major 'learning curve' with the work in the Day Centre. It is easy for us to make suggestions for improvement, but what a challenge for our Romanian friends - change is difficult and sometimes unnerving. However, we continue to be overwhelmed by their graciousness toward us and willingness to believe what we say!

The charity believes that we are entering a new phase now, where God is enabling us to move towards developing a quality learning environment for these precious children. We are privileged to be a part of this, will continue to trust Him in all things, and learn humbly from our successes and also our mistakes!

Please pray for the Silvia Day Centre:

* That we will continue to develop our relationships with staff, based on a sense of love and mutual trust.
* That our work there will continue to develop and be increasingly effective.
* That the staff there will feel empowered and increasingly skilled.
* That we will continue to have opportunities to reach out to the local education community and surrounding areas.
* That plans to develop the day centre building will come to fruition - repairs to be roof, converting the upstairs area into a life skills room (for older pupils) - funds will need to be raised for this.
* That God will release the people He needs to be added to our team, to achieve all this.

Linda Edgell. April 2009.

THANK YOU!!

2009-02-06T15:04:00.002Z

Thank you to everyone who gave so much food, sweets, toys and clothing for us to send out to our elderly clients and children in the day centre and the orphanage. You certainly made a huge difference to their Christmas! Thank you.......

Our next trip to Romania is on 1st March when a team of 8 will try out a new route for travel - Stanstead to Bucharest and overnight train to Piatra Neamt! Let's hope it works!

Dr. Maggie Anderson is part of our team and will be holding teaching seminars at the local orphanage and counselling sessions with parents. Maggie is a specialist in autism and her involvement has already had a huge impact on the work of our centre. We will also have with us the ICT Manager from Shorefields School in Clacton on Sea who will install four computers in our day centre. These computers will be used to teach literacy and basic mathematics to our children.

Following on from our work with the elderly in the villages surrounding Piatra Neamt, we will, during this next visit, be starting a weekly day care session to be held in the church basement. We will be offering our elderly clients holistic treatments, a warm meal, board games, reminiscence and movement to music therapy. This is something completely new but we believe it will make an enormous difference to the many elderly folk who are isolated either in their town apartments or village homes.

Frinton's Got Talent

2008-06-14T09:07:00.002Z

Linda Edgell's Story

2008-06-02T14:58:00.008Z

How did God first involve me?
It all started one evening last July, when Sylvia asked me the question “Do you know anything about Autism?” And my reply...”Yes a little, but I have a friend who knows a LOT!”

When I asked my friend Maggie to help us, before I could barely finish my request, she opened her diary and asked “When are we going then?”

When Maggie and I met all those years ago, chatting at the school gate whilst we waited for children, God knew then how he would put this one together! Over the years, she has become highly skilled and experienced in working with children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

My background is in Special Educational Needs, working in schools, and more recently for the county specialist teacher team.

So a new ministry began for us both, unplanned by us (but ordained by God), and so unexpected!

The First Visit (Oct 07)

This was really a fact-finding task for us, but a very full week.

We spent most of our time at the Silvia Day Centre with some very special children who quickly found their way into our hearts. Most of them have a formal diagnosis of Autism – of varying degrees. Some of the children are very vocal and demanding, and others prefer to be left alone to ‘do their own thing’.

We began by...observing the children, meeting and sharing information with their parents.

We had a ‘mums night out’ evening – Maggie shared her expertise in Autism with both parents and local professionals. (We were delighted to have local educational psychologists, speech therapists and teachers with us that night).

There was an opportunity too for us to visit the local Santa Maria orphanage – a useful contact to make – more later!

We discovered very early on that, in Romania, disability is viewed from a medical perspective and that there is little support or practical information given to families or teachers to guide them through the process of caring for their special children.

As is often the case, we went with one agenda...and God had another. We expected to focus on the educational needs in the Day Centre, but clearly the more urgent need was to meet with (sometimes distraught) parents to listen and suggest news ways to manage their children. Almost all said they had never had an opportunity like this before.

Many of these parents (sometimes single mothers) have unswerving dedication to their children and a real thirst for knowledge and support.
The Second Visit (Feb 08)

How wonderful it was to plan for this visit with the anticipation of meeting up with new friends. Though our visit was only for five days, the schedule was packed:

For the Day Centre, our focus was to spend a little time with the staff, sharing thoughts and ideas about their work with the children. These ladies have so much love for the families they work with, offering a ‘safe’ place for parents and unconditional love and total acceptance to the children. We are always conscious that we are so blessed to live in a country where there is now so much more provision for families coping with disability. How we take it all for granted. It is therefore extremely difficult to appreciate just how new and ground-breaking our ideas about education must seem to Romanian folk!

A computer, which had arrived from the UK sometime earlier needed to be ‘brought to life’! We managed to get it up and running and installed some simple software which could be accessed by all the children. There was much excitement (and some fisticuffs!) as they scrambled to have turns. We also hope the staff will find the PC useful for making resources for the children.

Maggie managed to fit in endless ‘home’ visits and consultations with parents at the centre – not quite sure how she did it! These were times where advice was given, needs were discussed, but also where tears were shed – for the ‘loss’ of the child that might have been.

The Santa Maria (orphanage) hosted a training session led by Maggie for teachers/parents of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Once again, our agenda was replaced with another. Instead of teaching a handful of staff from the orphanage for an hour or so, we received around 60 folk (spread over two sessions) who came from other schools in the area! It seems we will need to plan for a whole day next time.

Remember Cristina? (The little girl with Down Syndrome who featured in the very moving DVD). We had the privilege of spending some time at her school – she is now in her local village school. Staff there were loving, caring and longing to know more about Down Syndrome and how to help Cristina. We have been asked to return next time to work with them on this. Another door has opened.

We enjoyed another, special celebration meal with the mums at the day centre. With a Valentine’s Day theme, there was talk of God’s love for them and a chance to acknowledge the amazing job they do as parents of special children.

So we experienced another challenging week, with God sometimes leading to unexpected places and situations. I feel wholly inadequate when I think of the task so far, and what lies ahead! But we have an extraordinary God who uses ordinary people, like us.

Please pray for us!

Praise

For the loving and caring staff at the Day Centre

We have recently forged links with Shorefields Special School, who have been so helpful and supportive – pray that God will use and develop this in the future

We have been blessed with safe travel so far, even in ‘big’ snow!

Prayer

That we will use the opportunities God has given us effectively and wisely

For staff working in state schools with ‘special’ children – so many of them do not feel equipped

That God will continue to change attitudes in Romania regarding disability

May 2008 Visit

2008-06-02T14:45:00.003Z

Only a short visit but a very busy one!! The lorry had arrived a few days before us so all the parcels had to be sorted. The six second hand bikes purchased for the children in the day centre caused much excitement and quite a few tears when it was time to go home but the children were happy to discover the bikes were still there the next day.

Mum’s enjoyed sharing some lovely clothes sent by a member of Frinton Free Church and we had another lovely Women’s meeting on the Friday afternoon with ladies from the Baptist, Pentecostal and Brethen churches all joining together to praise and pray. Again, it was a privilege to share our testimonies and to bring greetings and gifts from the Women’s Fellowship at the Free.

The highlight of the week had to be our first ‘coffee morning’ for the elderly clients that we care for through HST. We had planned to hold the meeting in a small village church but discovered it was being used by someone else. What could we do? We so wanted this first meeting! But God works in mysterious ways and very quickly (unusual for our Romanian friends) a meeting was arranged to take place in Piatra Neamt church. The church currently uses the basement whilst the rest of the building is still under construction.

About 30 people came, some from the villages, some from the town and others from the church. The mini bus worked hard that morning. What a wonderful time of fellowship they had. Such a new idea for them to join together just to have coffee and chat. We asked them what they would like from future meetings and had some interesting suggestions. We have arranged to have monthly meetings and at the next one they will stay for lunch.

We understand from Pastor Marin the main sanctuary of the church will be in use from about October this year thereby leaving the basement free so we pray that it will be possible for us to develop this area into a day care centre for the elderly.

There are two more trips planned this year - a youth mission in August and a Men’s outreach visit in October and we may even go at Christmas to give our elderly folk a Christmas lunch!

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Visit to Romania, May-June 07

2007-08-05T14:29:00.000Z

May 4th 2007, ten people left England bound for Romania on a mission trip organised by 'Haven in Romania'. The trip was comprised of both men and women, ranging in age from 18... up! The trip had several aims, including the continued planning (and planting!) of a sensory garden for the Silvia Day Centre, numerous women's meetings, and simply getting alongside Romanian friends to improve friendship and communication.

The new garden being built behind the Silvia Day Centre has been designed by Paul Baines from Frinton Free Church, and is based around the five senses to grab the children's attention. Whilst out there, the team introduced a little autistic girl called Ioana to the new solar-powered fountain - judging by the wet shoes and the look of delight on her face as she tried to get as much of her arm into the fountain as possible, it was considered a very quick success! Lavandars, roses and various other bushes were bought from a nearby Garden Centre (a relatively new introduction to Romanian shopping) to compliment the work already underway with the paving. It called for plenty of trips backwards and forwards to fetch water, as the plants were gasping in the mid-thirties Celcius weather. (It has to be noted that several of the team were gasping at points as well!)

The first major women's meeting was held in the Piatra Neamt Baptist Church. It involved the preperation of literally hundreds of Romanian 'sandwiches' (a slice of bread with either ham or cheese, two pieces of olive and a slice of red pepper!) and also the slicing up of lots of English fruitcake, kindly made by ladies back home. Irina, one of our main translators, was fascinated by the information that not only was a fruitcake what she was holding and eating at the time, but that, back in England, if someone calls you a fruitcake you're a little bit crazy! She seemed to think it made sense though.

The meeting went on very well, and Sandy Burnett, who spoke, not only challanged the women, but also touched them with her honest testimony of coping with breast cancer. Not a subject that is often spoken of in Romania, the English team then went on to explain how to check for breast cancer, and what to do if you find a lump. The meeting was then followed by a bra-dispensing session, which, after the initial embarrassment, ended up with lots of giggling as the tape measure was found to be useless, and bras were thrown across the room with abandon in an effort to discover 'what size?!' each particular lady needed.

As well as the more structured parts of the mission, there were also times to relax, to make new friendships, and to cultivate old ones. Many lovely Romanian families from within the church took the team in as boarders, or sponsored them massive four course lunches. (Side note: many diet and excercise regimes have been started up since the team returned!)

So, the adult mission went well, and everyone came back fat (sorry, did I say fat?!), happy, and with a grasp of at least two more words in Romanian. But that isn't the last mission for this year. August 6-16th sees another mission taking place - this time with a group of young people and leaders from Frinton Free Church.

Plans for the mission are well underway now, and include kid's clubs, youth clubs, visits to village churches, and plenty of testimonies! Something that is exciting the team is the prospect of three days spent in a gypsy village doing kid's clubs with George (see 'George's Story' in this issue of Speranta), and getting to know the kids there a bit better.

Both teams would value your continued prayers for the mission work in Romania, and the partnership of both Romanian and English as they continue to reach out into the community.

Quiz and DVD Evening

2007-04-06T16:45:00.000Z

Thanks to all who came to our recent quiz evening at the Free. It was a gathering of faithful supporters, and we were glad not only to be able to offer the prize of a gorgeous basket of fruit to the winning team (who very kindly shared it out), but also to give feedback on the past year in the life of Haven in Romania.

After three rounds of the quiz there was an interval during which some videos were shown. Paul and Ceri expounded on some of the highs of the past year, and explained the hopes for the future of HSB and the Silvia Day Centre. Sandwiches, crisps and nuts were provided by Sylvia and Betty, who overcatered slightly (as all good caterers do!) and gave Ben Marlowe something to be happy about on the following Sunday inbetween services.

The last three rounds of the quiz followed, and our thanks goes out to Roger Squirrel for being such a great quiz master, and to Barry Rouse for putting the quiz together. The winning team was 'Stars and Stripes' ; and if there are any queries about the winners take it to Betty because she was the scorer!

Altogether, we were very pleased to be able to keep our supporters informed, and would like to thank all those who made it possible. And brush up on your general knowledge for next time!

Betty's Story

2007-03-04T10:30:00.000Z

The stories Betty has to tell of her past two years of involvement with Romania are wonderful to listen to. I've been privileged to hear some of them; from when she first went out in 2005, to the fundraising over here, to just this year when she and Sylvia were traveling back from the shops in 'the Lord's car' hardly able to breathe because it was all packed out with beanbags and cushions.

Betty has always been friendly with Sylvia Brown (the founder of Haven in Romania), but, being a widow herself, became especially close to her after the death of her husband, Dennis. In 2005, Sylvia invited Betty out to Romania, and Betty went – originally more for Sylvia, and to support her than anything else. 'But,' says Betty, 'Once I got out there, well…!'

It was only meant to be a one off trip, and according to Betty she 'only went out to do the tea and biscuits!' but it's turned out to be so much more for her. 'The second time was like going home,' she states.

At the age of 69 (and she doesn't mind who knows it!), Betty says that had she been asked just a little while before, she would have said that missions trips are for younger people. However, she has enjoyed going out on a youth mission trip (arranged in conjunction with 'Frinton Free Church') over the last two summers, and has discovered a real ministry among both the children and the elderly out there. All the members of the youth team certainly enjoy having Betty on board as much as she enjoys being there, and can testify to the fact that she has brought so much to the team.

However, Betty's involvement doesn't end when she steps foot off the 'plane from Romania. She is also heavily involved back home in Frinton, with raising awareness of, and fundraising for, the charity. She is quite happy to be chauffer to various events, and at a recent auction held for the charity wore down (according to her!) three pairs of shoes in helping to make it the vast success it was. She also allows the charity to use her very sizeable loft as a storage area for various second-hand clothes that are to be sent out by lorry early next year.

Betty's face, like so many of those you talk to who are involved with Haven, lights up when she starts to talk about Romania. Her encouragement to anyone wondering whether or not they'll be able to make a difference is, 'If I can do it, anyone can!'

Fusion with Romania 2006

2007-02-28T11:05:00.000Z

In August 2006 a group of 16 young people and leaders left the comfort of their homes (at 3 in the morning!), travelled in style (OK, in minibus) to Heathrow airport, and jumped on a plane that took them, within the space of 3 hours, to Bucharest airport, Romania.
For some, it was like returning home; for others, a new and bizarre experience, notable from the minute you stepped off the plane and set foot in the stuffy, air-conditioning-less airport.

We reached Piatra Neamt at 1am in the morning, and were greeted as this unsociable hour by host-families in pajamas, sleepy eyed and heavily accented. Some of us had host families who spoke English – some of us didn't. Those who didn't relied on a form of improvised sign language and Romanian dictionaries to try and communicate. Romanians, however, are a very warm, hospitable people, and despite the language barrier everyone built up good relationships with their adopted host-families.

I'd love to go in-depth on all the things we did, and all the people we encountered whilst out in Romania, but I've not got the room, and I don't want to keep you here all day! Instead I'd like to focus on two things; very similar, and yet very different.

The first is an orphanage that we visited during the first week. It's barely ten minutes away from the Baptist church by car (or minibus!), a large grey building with a yard in front. We had come to run a kid's club with the children, and showed up with guitars, drums, crafts and balls.

Not having done this before in an orphanage, we were unsure at first of what would work. Games, craft and aerobics all came under review, and it was decided to play it by ear on the first day. By the end of the three days, however, all of our uncertainty and nervousness was gone completely. The kids were absolutely lovely, got involved in everything with enthusiasm, and threw themselves into the task of getting to know us. Names such as 'Adalina' and 'Theo,' two of the more up-front children, became well known amongst the team, and when, the following week, the children got brought by minibus to the kid's club at the church, it gave us a wonderful opportunity to get to know them even more as people. By the end of that week, when we at last waved goodbye to them as they drove away in the minibus, it was with tears – tears unlike those we would cry that afternoon at a very different orphanage…

The 'Special School' is an orphanage, as you might guess by the name, for special needs children, whether mentally or physically. We were led inside the building to a small room with two sofas along one wall, and a TV set on a bracket on the wall opposite. Around ten children were lined up on the sofas. It was impossible to hazard a guess at their age, as all of them were tiny, many soiled (and without nappies), and most of them looking straight through us when we walked in.

The first reaction when we walked into the room was to recoil; the smell almost physically knocked us backward. It was a case of almost forcing yourself to sit down and pretend you knew why you were there. We played a few songs on guitars for them, then threw a ball around for a bit. We were there almost an hour. After about ten minutes of that time, you saw a change in the children's faces – they no longer looked straight through us, but focused on us. Some were laughing, enjoying the balls and the music.

It was one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever done, having to walk out of that room again, and leave the children there again, already crying, and holding out their hands to us. Whilst so many things have changed in Romania, such as the first orphanage mentioned, it seems that many haven't. And whilst that remains true, the need for work in Romania is as important as ever.

A Background of Romania

2007-02-27T17:45:00.000Z

Romania? Where's that then?
Romania is situated in Southeastern Europe, with one stretch of coast along the Black Sea, and the Carpathian mountains through its centre.

What's the background on Romania?
Recent history of Romania is filled with political tension and strife, resulting in years of suffering for its people. After WW2, Communism swiftly overtook the government, and any open opposition to their party was met with force, resulting in countless arrests, injuries and deaths. By 1948, all non-Communist politicians were either executed, in exile, or in prison, tens of thousands of participants in the 'pro-Axis' regime had been executed, and in 1947 the king abdicated; the Communists had truly taken power, and declared Romania a People's Republic.

What did Communism mean for the people?
All walks of life were strictly governed by the Communists with the help of secret police and informers. Neighbours were encouraged to inform on each other, and many people were imprisoned on minor or trumped-up charges. Collective farming was enforced, and those peasants who didn't wish to give up their land were 'convinced' by beatings, intimidations, arrests and deportation.

Did this continue?
No. After a swift, but violent, revolution in 1989, Communism was finally removed, and the then Prime Minister, Nicolae Ceausescu, executed for crimes against the people. However, Ceausescu, one of the most brutal and cruel dictators in history, had left the country with a failing economy, and life for the average Romanian was a continual struggle for survival on the simplest levels.

What's happened since then?
After experiencing a decade of economic instability and decline following the downfall of Communism, in 2000 it was transformed, and now has a relatively low unemployment rate of around 5%. However, shop prices are equivalent to those here in the UK, whilst salaries are around £80 a month (before a tax of 33%), and pensions average at around £20 per month. Help for the elderly, sick, retired, unemployed, and disabled are extremely low, and in some cases non-existent.