In rural Romania, Cristian’s parents leave him for days on end as they travel for miles to a rubbish dump searching for scrap metal to sell. Often they return home with their horse and cart empty, and Cristian and his brothers and sisters go to bed hungry.
40% of Romanian children live in poverty and struggle to get an education and one in eight go to bed with their stomachs empty. Right now, thousands of vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Eastern Europe cannot go to school because their family simply cannot afford the essentials. Generational poverty, war and broken families result in thousands of children having no school supplies and no confidence to make going to school worthwhile or even possible.
For parents in Cristian’s community, each day is just a struggle to survive and an education is an unachievable goal. As a result, Cristian has no one to encourage him to go to school. He does not read or write, he struggles to communicate and he is rejected by society everywhere he goes. As he gets older he will simply pass his experiences on to his children. Without investment in education, this cycle of poverty will simply continue as it has for generations in Romania.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela
Education is the most important single factor for long-term sustainable development for a child, its family and its community.
Cristian and his siblings in rural Romania need support to break the cycle of poverty, and global organization Mission Without Borders is committed to helping thousands of children, like Cristian, to break out of the cycle of poverty in struggling communities across Eastern Europe.
Mission Without Borders is a Christian, inter-denominational organisation, who for over 50 years, are serving children, families and elderly people suffering poverty and oppression in Eastern Europe. Through practical and spiritual support they give hope by meeting the urgent needs of the poor and building self-sufficient communities. They do this work because they believe they have been called by God to help the poor and needy. Their work is currently focused in six Eastern European countries: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine and they minister to thousands of children and families across the region working through local churches, volunteers and their own specialist staff in our field countries.
They believe that only long term investment in a child’s education, material and emotional support, plus faith and hope in Jesus Christ can create real and lasting change in a child’s, a community’s and even a nation’s existence.
For every child and teenager they serve, the journey is long and difficult. But with a simple donation of just $25, for one child that journey can start now through the gift of a backpack filled with school supplies. Without these essential items the children are not able to attend school.
By donating a backpack to Cristian and thousands of other children like him in Eastern Europe, you will make a difference:
- You will help Cristian and other children to fulfill their God-given potential through education,
- You will contribute to making an impact on his family and community,
- You will be part of God’s plan to tackle injustice in Eastern Europe.
Cristian cannot do this on his own. Change his world by donating now at: www.mwb.org.au
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