Hope for Viorel and his family this Christmas

This candle holder was made by a little boy called Viorel who lives in Romania with his parents and his three brothers. We didn’t take a picture of Viorel with his family because it didn’t feel right to ask. No one wants to have their photo taken when they’re at rock bottom. And sadly, this Christmas, Viorel and his family are in a desperate situation.

Earlier this year, his Dad, Mugur, had a stroke. He’s recovering now but he hasn’t been able to work for months. The family couldn’t pay their rent and they lost their home. Now they’re living in two cold, dark rooms – the only accommodation they can afford. They can’t light the stove because the chimney smokes. The windows are in such a poor state that it’s impossible to keep the place warm anyway.

When they’re not at school Viorel and his brothers spend their time huddled under a blanket on the bed they share. Viorel’s Mum, Claudia, is an energetic and determined woman. She is doing absolutely everything she can to keep her family together but it’s a daily struggle.

She has unplugged the fridge because there’s nothing to put in it. “And the television is broken,” she says, “but we keep it so at least the boys can tell the children at school that they have a TV.”

Without help, Claudia knows that Viorel and her other children are at risk of being taken from her and sent to an orphanage.

Our team in Romania is providing emergency support to the family to make sure this doesn’t happen. We’ve supplied food, winter clothes and a cooker so that Claudia can prepare hot meals for the boys. We’re also helping to repair the stove and insulate their home before the weather gets even colder.

This is how, by offering the right help at the right time, Anglof Regional Foundation & Humanitarian Relief Agency (ARFHRA) prevent children from growing up in damaging institutions, without the love and protection of a family. Thanks to your generosity, we can give Viorel and his family the support they need to stay together this Christmas. And with your continued support, we can help them rebuild for the future.

Donations made to Anglof Regional Foundation & Humanitarian Relief Agency (ARFHRA) before 27th December 2017 will be doubled by the UK Government as part of its UK Aid Match scheme.