Romania:

The Arc

Anna Maria, Codruta, Simileana and Adam are the first residents of the Trust’s Romanian ‘half-way house’ – “The Arc”. After more than three years of fundraising and construction the house was opened on September 30^th 2005 by Dr Robert Song, Epiphany Trust chairman, and Mr Marius Nicolae – 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 almost fifteen years, and has seen it change from a place of total squalor to what is now widely 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 fulfilment of a lifetime's ambition to see this place opening in Sinaia”.

The Arc, built by our partners in the venture - The Emanuel Foundation, is one of only a handful of similar projects throughout Romania but we believe it will act as a catalyst for many more in the years to come. Of course all this has only been made possible by the generosity of our supporters who we hope will continue to help us raise the £10,000 a year needed to provide the young people with food, clothing, a real home and the best possible support for the future.

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. Rose Pelletier from Angiers, France and Vicky Hardman from Chester have both completed 6 months of excellent work. Sharon Noon from Wigan worked with the four young adults for a full year inbetween her degree and post graduate courses. There is always opportunity for volunteers to assist this valuable project. Head up to the beautiful ski resort of Sinaia for part of your gap year... or maybe just a 3 week break from work; the duration of your stay can be tailored to suite you.

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

If you are interested and want to know when volunteer positions are available in the Arc, please contact Gill at the office.

Testimony

" The experience I had in Romania was truly remarkable, and the love and affection which the four young adults gave me cannot be put into words. The experience will remain with me forever, and I will continue to visit them as they continue to grow and develop. They are now a big part of my life."
Sharon Noon 22, speaking of her year at the "Arc".