Romania

Since the first visit to Romania in 1994, Gypsies For Christ has been involved in taking humanitarian and financial aid into Eastern Europe in addition to preaching the Good News and witnessing to the unity of the Body of Christ.

Every year, the time spent abroad has increased and involvement with the local people and their needs has grown.

In 1998/99 a major Water Project was undertaken in the village of Chirileu and its successful conclusion was reported on local television. Subsequently the Romanian government pinpointed 40 other villages to be supplied with piped water. GFC believes that the success of their project caused the government to take this course of action.

In Chirileu, the Gypsies were healthier and happier since the introduction of clean water. Some gardens had been planted and the villagers encouraged to grow  vegetables. GFC will provide tools and seeds which will form the basis for the Sharon Market Gardening Project. In addition, a Medical Project has been started to support a doctor who works in five villages in the area and the first batch of supplies was delivered in October 2000 before the onset of winter.

Sharon and the Medical Project could have the same effect on the Romanian government as the successfully completed Water Project.

Ministry Update

Gypsies for Christ first visited Tirgu Mures, a large town in Romania not far from Cluj Napoca, in 1994. Seeing the great needs of the of the gypsy people in the surrounding villages the organisation became involved in taking humanitarian aid to them in addition to our primary aim of preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. Over the years large amounts of food, clothing and footwear have been distributed and financial grants given for educational and medical projects to help these very needy and downtrodden people.

For the millennium a major Water Project was undertaken to bring piped water drinking water to the village of Chirleu which benefitted both the Gypsy and Romanian people living there. On a later visit the administration of the project was handed over to the local Mayor who was better able to oversee it.

Since Gypsies for Christ is now unable to undertake the long and arduous journeys into Romania, the organisation supports the Christian Mission to Youth Inc, which also works in the Tirgu Mures area, by sponsoring a poor Gypsy family and supplying grants for chosen projects. In this way GFC continues to be involved with the Gypsy work in Romania.