This latest note from our Project Manager in the field exemplifies why it’s not always enough to drop money on a project and leave. To help them become self-sufficient and to educate them to take on their problems by understanding the solutions for the long-term fix is the key to transformation. Read the latest from Yuriy:
Last week we completed the last of this year’s training seminar in our Roma Community Development project. We had 22 attendants, with several new people that were not a part of training when we started in the spring. The good word of God’s works is spreading and pastors and community leaders from other Roma villages are interested in learning, seeing the transformation in these few key communities we’ve been focusing on.
The training was focused on helping Roma communities to prepare for the winter by showing how to store the vegetables that were harvested as a result of the SEED project started in April, as well as how to winterize their homes for the winter. It had a practical part in teaching the participants not only to repair, but also build up stable dwellings from available materials (on the example of the houses we are building for the needy families), as well, as installing the main utilities, like electricity. Many Roma communities do not have electricity due to simple lack of knowledge how to install and use it, even though it is provided in that area by the government.
We taught the basics of how electricity works, as well as hands-on training (using the bath house facility that is almost finished). We also provided the tools as gifts for these community leaders to be able to install it in their own communities. A couple of people at the end asked for advice about possibilities for more professional training in this area in order to start their own businesses. Of course, we also had morals and values training, as a part of this seminar, which continued to teach people how to live by God’s principles.
Armed with new knowledge and tools, these Roma men will transform their communities.
The seminar was a great success and people were asking when we would have another one and giving suggestions on what else they would like to learn to meet the needs of their communities. Several people came up and asked for materials and help setting up local trainings like that in their own communities, and we encouraged them to do it by themselves and provided available and left over materials.
Thank you again for all your prayers. All the volunteer teachers and support staff that made this a success could really feel them! God prepared the hearts of people and, we believe, changed them for everyone involved.
