Although Romania is in the EU there are still many challenging hang-overs from its communist days. The rural areas are very poor with high unemployment and a very low wage relative to the cost of living. Poverty is a major problem. We regularly find families where multiple generations are living in little more than sheds where in winter it can reach -18degrees centigrade or lower.

Lidia and Iakob Murza have been supporting children in and around Bistrita, Romania since 1991, and we have been delighted to partner with them in both the sponsorship of children and a linked project to build homes for very poor families.

Education has associated costs such as clothing and kit, but the sponsorship scheme covers this so families can concentrate their limited funds on food and fuel.