Help Us Buy the Land for ALMA Community Centre!
On January 7, 2021, a devastating fire destroyed the Roma settlement in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania. More than 200 people lost their homes overnight. I was there as a television journalist, but instead of leaving after the story, I stayed. Together with volunteers, we began working with the children every day.
Today, through the RIGHT Association, we provide regular educational, sports, arts and community activities for dozens of Roma children and young people. Over the years we have organized more than 200 running sessions, over 100 swimming lessons, music, theatre, robotics, sewing workshops and many other programs. We also established a small social sewing workshop where young people can learn sewing skills. The workshop also produces adaptive clothing for elderly people and people with disabilities, creating meaningful employment opportunities and helping support our long-term mission.
Our biggest challenge is that we have no permanent home. We have spent years moving between borrowed rooms, rented spaces and public venues.
That is why we dream of creating the ALMA Community Centre—a safe place where children can learn, play, create and grow. Our first and most important step is purchasing the land. Once we own it, we will gradually build classrooms, a community kitchen, laundry and shower facilities, spaces for mothers and babies, our sewing workshop, a football field and a greenhouse. Owning the land will also make it possible to apply for larger European grants to finance the construction.
Every donation brings us closer to creating a place where children can feel safe, discover their talents and build a better future.
Thank you for believing in ALMA—and in the children who deserve the same opportunities as every other child.