STEPS Romania 2012

In 2012 STEPS Romania will continue work started in 2010 in Slobozia, a desperately poor Roma village near Iasi in north east Romania. STEPS is collaborating with a Romanian charity ‘Link Romania’, which has a small building used as a kindergarten, a homework club, for youth clubs, mothers’ groups and bible studies etc. This small building can only hold about 15 children and urgently needs extending.

Our experience shows that the further Roma villages are from Bucharest, the poorer they are, and Slobozia is indeed very poor. The kindergarten has no piped water, so water is drawn from a well. There is no sewage system, just a hole in the ground. One house has electricity and a wire is attached to it to provide lighting.

This is what the single room kindergarten in Slobozia looked like in early 2010. Our objective has been to complete the extension, which is visible at the end of the building, and extend the whole building upwards to create a second floor.

Progress in 2010

May 2010

A STEPS Romania team spent a week working on the building. They left a store room under the extension and turned the unfinished extension into a useable second room.

August 2010

We received a grant from a charitable trust which was used to remove the existing roof, strengthen the main wall supports, and construct a second storey over the whole building.

These pictures show the timber arriving (in September 2010) and progress on the second floor extension (February 2011)..

Progress in 2011

May 2011

Apart from some electrical work the two downstairs rooms are now ready for use. The extension room was fully painted, floor tiled and cleaned. Two work surfaces were built ready for computers (when we can afford them!) and 10 sturdy office chairs were purchased to provide a suitable working space.

The original room was painted, cleaned and set out with two new ‘gopak’ style tables and a selection of colourful stools suitable for younger children.

Upstairs the walls were insulated and plaster boarded. One room was completed and has been earmarked as a bedroom for teaching staff. Again some electrical work needs to be done but the room is carpeted and ready for occupation. A small room has been allocated as a shower room but there is still the problem of electricity supply and a water pump.

November 2011

The main task was cladding the outside of the first floor. This was very nearly completed.

The chimney of the wood burning stove was fixed with some difficulty, since the addition of an extension and another floor had left the chimney outlet in the roof space. In the end a hole was cut in the roof and the chimney extended with pre-cast chimney bricks.

Apri, who runs Link Romania, was pleased with this as the classes could continue in the two downstairs rooms. It was previously too cold for them to do anything in there.

STEPS trustee, the Rev Ashley Cooper writes: “This is probably the most rewarding project STEPS has undertaken, as this is a rural community that has seen little investment and support”

The nearest airport is Bacau about 1 hour from Iasi (pronounced ‘yash’) and it takes about 40 minutes to drive from Iasi to Slobozia. This map shows that Iasi is near the border with Moldova.

Experience of the volunteers from STEPS, who have been working in Slobozia, is that accommodation in the nearby ancient town of Iasi and transport (except for the last few hundred metres to the building) is excellent.

The work is very rewarding – why not join us?

This is an ambitious project which is stretching our meagre resources.

Any help would be gratefully received.