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REFLECTIONS ON AID TRIPS TO ROMANIA
by Neil Lyle (November 2008)
Dear Graha
It
is difficult to single out one particular item but in general “Support
for Romania” for which I have been fortunate enough to have been asked
many times (more than 40 I believe) to participate on a trip to Romania
supports many charitable organisations within Romania. A sponsored swim
by myself and a sale of Christmas cards helped raise about £2000 for
the work of Anna Burtea early this year.
Anna who is qualified
as a doctor (General Practice) was working at a local hospital in
Galati (pronounced Galats), Romania in 1995/6 and as part of her duties
she was looking after the HIV children who were kept there. In fact the
children were kept in a building fenced off within the hospital grounds
and were effectively imprisoned. The feeling at the time, even within
her own profession, was that the children were dangerous due to
infection so effectively they were abandoned by everyone.
She soon discovered that the medical treatment for them
was virtually non existent, that the mortality rate was very high and
the children were suffering badly due to lack of care, human contact
and mostly, of course, normal love and care. Anna tried to improve the
situation through the medical fraternity, local government officials
etc., but to no avail. At that point, probably due to her values
expressed through her professional training, her common humanity, and
her deeply held Christian convictions she decided that she must do
something about it and take the children out of this environment. She
had no resources at that time and it still confounds me as to how she
managed to start all of this. The important thing was that she did and
it was in the face of no support from colleagues, and a bitterly
disappointed set of parents who, understandably, did not want her to
leave her profession and abandon her best chances in life..
She was helped by a girl from Newport, South Wales, who
was there at the time. This was 13 years ago and the charity Inima de
Copil (Heart of a Child) was formed. Anna wrote to the big medical
companies hoping to get drugs for treating HIV Aids and although they
were sympathetic little was forthcoming although she did get some help.
Eventually she obtained minimum levels of drug treatment for the
children but it was a long, hard struggle. She has provided a home for
some of the HIV cases who have now grown up somewhat and she has found
foster parents for some of them and for some of the poorest children
imaginable. Bear in mind that the concept of fostering and adoption was
not at all part of the Romanian Communist culture (I think she said
that there were 76,000 children in institutions). During this time she
has been supported by small organisations in the UK and Italy but she
is losing the Italian support this year due to Romania entering the EC
and assumptions being made that all of these dire problems will be
resolved. She has literally improved the lives of thousands of the most
needy children and adults over the years.
Not only does she
possess the finest of human values but she has been called upon to
attend local and national committees to represent those people for whom
she strives to get a better deal. She is a very intelligent, determined
and truly remarkable human being who deserves our support. |
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