Two brothers from Denbigh are raising money to travel to Romania to put on educational activities for disadvantaged Roma gypsy children.
For 10 days over Easter Gareth Ceidiog Hughes and Gruffydd Ceidiog Hughes will be joining a team of past and present students from the School of Education at Bangor University in the Romanian city of Oradea.
There they will help a Romanian charity, People2People who work with a small Roma community who live on the outskirts of a village called Urvind.
They are now looking for sponsors to help the project and need to raise £1,000.
Gruffydd, 24, an administrator for the care organisation Pendine Park explained: “We’re going to be working with a group of 35 children, aged 6-15 years old, delivering a range of learning activities, including sports and crafts.”
“The activities are designed to develop the children’s basic skills and increase their confidence and self worth.”
“The programme builds on the preschool education project that People2People are developing in the gypsy village.”
Gareth, 26, said “I’ve been once before. It was a real eye opener. These children live in extreme poverty and deprivation through no fault of their own.
“Whole families were crammed into metal containers that are boiling in the summer and absolutely freezing in the winter”
“Most of the adults in the village had lost most of their front teeth due to lack of dental care”
“The gypsy people have always been outsiders in Romania though they have lived there for hundreds of years, living with discrimination and stigma.
“Education is the key to helping these young children improve their future prospects and break out of the vicious circle of extreme poverty, and high unemployment.“
“The children are so grateful for everything they receive. Every little thing to help can make such a big difference”
“It just makes you realise how lucky you are.
“Any contributions will be gratefully received towards helping with this important project.”
Nicu Gal along with his wife, Miha, began People2People with a vision to improve the lives of the abandoned children in their area.
Their work has expanded and they are dedicated to caring for disadvantaged, destitute and suffering children, young people and their families.
A spokesperson for People2People said: “The aim of the organisation is to rescue and restore lives broken by poverty, oppression, exclusion and abuse, and to provide appropriate opportunities for a better future. ”
Visit the People2People website for more information. Anybody wanting to make a contribution toward the project should contact Gareth either by ringing him on 07732 955339 or emailing him at [email protected]
