On Saturday, March 17, 2018, ADRA Romania, in collaboration with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Youth and Children Department, organized at national level the project "Young People Helps Children", within the ADRA project ”Children helping children”, held on the occasion of the Global Youth Day. Within the project, 7,000 gift packages were prepared for distribution, these being offered in many localities in Romania, including Craiova, Cluj, Roşiori de Vede, Piteşti, Rucăr, Suceava, Vatra Dornei, Câmpulung, Iaşi, Bacau, Bucharest, Arad, Hunedoara, Ineu, Sebiş, Măriţa, Onesti, Războieni, Târgu Mureş, Sibiu, Braşov, Herghelia, Sarmasu, Reghin, Făgăraş, Miercurea Ciuc, Glodeni, Ramnicu Sarat, Buzău. Timisoara, the Minor Penitentiary Craiova, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Constanţa and other localities follow. "Because following Christ means sensitivity, service, solidarity and hope, the young Adventists around the world have celebrated Global Youth Day. This project, initiated a few years ago, stimulates young people by the principle: you are a living letter, read by all men, an example to the world around us. People are moved by what we do far more than what we say. A Spanish proverb says: what you do cry out so much in my ears that she does not let me listen to what you say. In the contemporary context in which we live, we are called to bring good news through compassion, solidarity, sensitivity to the needs of people, sharing hope through what we do. In this project, young people from Rosiorii Vede, Teleorman County, were also very involved, where I was present with the ADRA Romania team. ADRA once again, made it possible smiles, hugs, beautiful words and the presence of young people to be accompanied by the 7,000 packages for children" said Stefan Albu, Capelan of the Sagunto Adventist Education Center in Spain and ADRA Director Catalonia in the period 2012-2017. youtu.be/fL18zN6Uqlw "It is hard to tell in words the emotion and the satisfaction in the heart and on the face of the little ones who have given something of what they have less favored children. The gifts were in many forms in 2018 and were offered beside special boxes and in smaller boxes or specific edition bags. The latter form was meant to convey a message, a challenge to dedication. We thought that a step further than giving would be to invite and motivate the recipients to multiply the gesture received from us. This is how the gift has been offered in over 6,000 message parcels throughout the country. Given the weather surprise on March 17, another package will be distributed in the coming days. That's how the 7000 target I looked at as a goal will round off. For the Youth Department of the Adventist Church, this year's collaboration with ADRA Romania has been a real support and we believe that the message of generosity will multiply as a result of this gesture" said Daniel Chirileanu, Director of the Department of Youth and Children of the Seventh-day Adventist Church from Romania. The ADRA project ”Children helping children” is a double benefit project combining two of the organization's action lines: Education and Assist Disadvantaged Social Categories. By promoting the spirit of social responsibility among children and young people, small donors are offered education that is not usually taught in formal education in Romania. At the same time, the beneficiaries of the gifts of gifts are supported by the gifts they receive. And in this year's edition, the Adventist Church's support has made it possible to successfully implement the project" said Robert Georgescu, Country Director of ADRA Romania.
The ADRA Project "Children Helping Children" aims to stimulate volunteering and the spirit of social responsibility among children and young people by engaging in social activities (for the benefit of peers) and offering packages of food, personal hygiene, school supplies, clothing, footwear, toys, etc., especially children and young people in vulnerable situations (poor, disadvantaged, single parent families or children from placement centers or orphanages) selected by local volunteers.
ADRA Romania is part of the ADRA International Network, one of the most widespread nongovernmental organizations in the world, active in 139 countries and leading a philosophy that combines compassion with the practical spirit, to people in need, without making racial, ethnic, political or religious differences. ADRA Romania aims to improve the quality of life for those in need and invests in people's potential through community development initiatives focusing on five main directions: economic development, basic education and health, the fight against domestic violence, assisting the victims of natural disasters, and assisting underprivileged social categories, being guided by the motto: "Change a life and change the world!"
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is recognized by the Romanian State alongside other churches operating in Romania, being known for its transparency, social, medical, educational, and religious freedom. Total Involvement of Believers is a global challenge for the Adventist Church to involve each believer, every church, every administrative entity, each project to the good of others, to fulfill their needs according to the pattern of Jesus Christ. The concluding words of Jesus in the parable about the good Samaritan - "Go and do the same" (The Gospel of Luke 10: 25-37) - are the subject of the International Youth Day: "Be the sermon!”
More pictures on Facebook (ADRA Romania)
