Romania:

The Arc

Anna-Maria, Codruta, Simileana and Adam are the first residents of the Trust’s Romanian ‘halfway house’, “The Arc”. After more than three years of fund-raising and construction the house was opened on September 30th, 2005 by Dr. Robert Song, the Epiphany Trust chairman, and Mr. Marius Nicolae, the vice mayor of Sinaia. “The Arc” has been built to provide a home for young people leaving institutional care and to enable them to adjust to independent living. All are from the orphanage in Lugoj where the Trust, through its Child Action International programme, has been working for twenty years. During this time, we have seen the orphanage change from a place of total squalor into what is now regarded as a centre of excellence.

The house has been built in the resort of Sinaia, a beautiful spot in the Carpathian mountains, on land donated by Mr. Iordachie, a minister at the local evangelical church.

Octogenarian Mr. Iordachie, who led prayers at the opening ceremony, said “It is the fulfillment of a lifetime’s ambition to see this place opening in Sinaia.”

The four young people in “The Arc” continue to develop socially and emotionally, and, whilst there are setbacks from time to time, we are very pleased and proud to report that Adam has held down a job with a local construction company for over 3 years. The girls have been working in the house, weaving and making handicrafts, and are also developing skills such as reading, writing and telling the time. In addition, Anna-Maria and Codruta work at lunchtimes serving meals and waiting tables for the construction company workers, whilst Simileana is progressing in leaps and bounds.

“The Arc”, built by the Emanuel Foundation, our partners in the venue, is one of only a handful of similar projects in Romania, but we believe it will act as a catalyst for many more in the years to come. The Trust itself is currently raising funds to complete the work on a second Arc, the shell of which has already been constructed.

Testimony

“There are certainly many challenges, and I count myself as one of those that will help meet those challenges in the future. It would not be possible to walk away and look back on my time in Sinaia in isolation, or as little more than a holiday. I have made a commitment to the “Arc” and hope to see it grow, evolve and change many more lives over the years to come.” Ian Tyldesley, volunteer (currently in training to run the Bucharest Marathon to raise money for the Arc projects).

Volunteer for the ARC

The house is managed by Sinaia resident Sorana Puscas and frequent visits are made by staff from Lugoj, but the project is only made viable by people volunteering their time to live and work in the Arc. There is always opportunity for volunteers to assist with this valuable project. Head up to the beautiful ski resort of Sinaia for part of your gap year. . . or maybe just a three week break from work. The duration of your stay can be tailored to suit you.

Whilst part of the Arc family you will be expected to help in the everyday running of the house and to support the young people as they acquire the lifeskills necessary for living and flourishing in the outside world.

If you are interested and would like to know dates available for volunteering please contact Gill at the Epiphany office.