PROJECT ROMANIA
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 ST JULY 2023
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31[st ] July 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015).
INCORPORATION
The charitable company was incorporated on 20 July 2015.
STRUCTURE, GOVERANCE AND MANAGEMENT.
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the companies Act 2006.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company Number N1632538
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER
104517
REGISTERED OFFICE 20 THORBURN ROAD NEWTOWNABBEY CO.ANTRIM BT36 7JA
TRUSTEES Judith Croker Mrs. Florence Farmer Mr. Noel Farmer Mr. Stephen P.W. Wallace
Company Secretary Correspondence to registered office.
Independent Examiner R Savage and Co Ltd R Savage & Company Accounts & Taxation Consultants Old Bank House 2 Crossgar Road Saintfield
Ballynahinch Co.Down BT247BD
Aims and purpose of the Charity
Public benefits
The public benefits that flow from the purposes of Project Romania are:-
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(1) Education opportunities for the beneficiaries aiding the reduction of unemployment; As
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a charity we continue to work in the developing country of Romania and maintain contact with over 20 schools in the Sighisoara area of Central Transylvania. Because of the Covid restrictions it has been difficult to continue with shoe boxes and many of the schools have been closed for periods of time. Most of our work continues to be aimed at the unprivileged and marginalized which includes the Roma communities in the villages of Shapte Novembrie, Stefan Cel Marie, Seleus, Secueni, Eleseni, Soard, Laslea, Malancrav and several others. We continue to assist several people from these communities to help us to fulfill the other aims of our work and by so doing educate them in building and other trades. It has been encouraging to see some of them now getting full time employment and thus attaining a better standard of life for themselves and for their families. We continue to support the hospital in Laslea with medical supplies, which include medical equipment, incontinence pads and surplus medications from the medical clinics, which we run each summer.
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(2) Increasing health and well-being leading to a better quality of life for the beneficiaries;
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We continue to seek to provide the 3 basic things necessary for the health and welJbeing of our clients leading to a better quality of life:
a) Adequate nutritious food plus warmth in the winter and spring season
Over this period we have continued with our food parcel distribution. Each family also received blankets or duvets and clothes. This year we made two trips to Romania and were able to provide finance to some of the people in Romania so they could buy food for the people in over 30 villages.
b) Good standard of housing and sanitation.
Over this year we have had to depend on some of our co-workers in Romania to continue with the building program. Several houses have been built including a house for a grandmother who was living on the street and sleeping in peoples doorways. This past year eleven houses were destroyed in the village of Stefan Cel Maria. Along with the town mayor and many other organisations we were able to help to rebuild houses for those families
c) Access to medical help when needed
Most of the people we work with are from the Roma community and when Covid 19 came to Romania there was severe restrictions on movement from one village to another. As a result, we could not run our yearly medical clinics and the poorer people could not get medical consultants and free medications. We have helped where we can but have realize we must work closely with them and the medical profession in Romania. We continue to support the local hospital in the village of Laslea and provided them with the use of our nine-seater minibus. Also, with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, we have been involved in transporting medical aid to Romania where it was distributed to Moldova and on to Odessa in Ukraine. Our charity has also helped to provide toiletry bags for injured soldiers who are being medevacked to Romania for rehab. At this moment in time we have not been able to re-establish our mobile medical clinics but hope to do so at our first opportunity.
3) Increased awareness and knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to seek to show a better way of life.
We continue to support children’s meetings in Tigmandru and our aims remain the same; to teach them respect for each other. When we replace a house for a family we tell them 1) there is to be no domestic violence, 2) there is to be no alcohol abuse, 3) children must attend school, 4) we would encourage them to attend a place of worship to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and 5) as God has provided them with a new home they need to help us to dig the foundations of the next house we build. Our charity continues to mentor some young men and couples who are involved in seeking to increase the awareness and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We have done this by providing finance for tuition fees, transport fees and also Christian books translated into the Romanian language. Hordu is now pastoring a church in Tigmandru and he is also evangelizing in five of the local villages in the area. His church is growing and now fully established. Through this continual work we have seen amazing changes in the life of local communities and individual families. His church has grown to over 100 in attendance. This year we have conducted a Bible school for pastors and church leaders when over forty attended. We also conducted ‘Church in the tent’ and hosted family camp and special days for the Ukrainian refugees.
How our organisation operated over this year.
Each year our charity operates both in Northern Ireland and Romania.
We were able to get two teams out to Romania (one of the teams also went with us to Ukraine). We ourselves were in Romania twice and in Ukraine three times with aid for the refugees. We are thankful to all our supporters for their continued giving of finance enabling us to send out finance throughout the year to help with food parcels, building, transport, maintenance, tuition and medical needs, and to send out two 40 foot containers of aid. We also continued to collect aid in N. Ireland and conduct meetings were possible.
As a charity we believe we have sought to fulfill the purposes for which we operate ie: the prevention/relief of poverty although this year from January to July it has been difficult to operate at our full potential. However we seek to help by:-
(1) delivering aid including food parcels, clothing and firewood logs through our friends in Romania;
(2) providing funeral assistance to several families.
Project Romania has aided the increased health and well-being of the beneficiaries by:-
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A) Financing nationals to help with their education both secular and spiritual.
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B) Working with established organizations and churches
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C) Seeking to break down ethnic barriers through education and personal conduct
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D) Assisting people from ethnic minorities giving them acceptance and self-worth.
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E) Training nationals for the advancement of God's kingdom.
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F) Working continually in Roma villages to try and raise their standard of living through education and providing food, clothes and practical help
G) Conducting evangelical outreaches and supporting other organisations and churches in their ministry
Thankfully we have continued to provide finance for food parcels, building and other programs mentioned above, as well as expanding our work for help with the Ukrainian refugees (over 420) in the Sighisoara area in Romania and along the Romanian border. Working with three other N.G.O’s together we have established kindergarten for Ukrainian refugee children and also make
available a house for 12 Ukrainian refugees in Sighisoara. With the continuing war in Ukraine our two vans have made multiple trips to churches in Ukraine and to Youth with a mission in Ternopil. We have been able to provide much needed food, clothes and toiletries. Our other van still helpes with medical staff at our local hospital.
Respectfully submitted and approved by order of the board of trustees and signed on its behalf by:
Mrs Florence Farmer.