Children in Romania delight with present boxes from Evesham

A lorry carrying 9,084 gift-filled shoeboxes set off from Evesham on November 27, headed for Arad and Oradea in Western Romania.

The project is part of the work undertaken by the charity Teams4U.

Upon arrival, Teams4U partner Raul Gherle and trustees Steve Hewitt and Paul Jeanes helped distribute the boxes to children and families in Bihor county.

Paul, from Lower Moor, said: “We have one particular experience that will never leave us. We went to visit a homeless family living on a waste land previously occupied by an agricultural glasshouse, back in communist times.

“Ioana, along with two of her children, Bianca and Radica, lived there in a shipping container next to another make-shift shelter housing her mother Simona, and her other daughter Narcisa and infant son, David.”

Eight-year-old Narcisa dreams of going to school to learn to read and write

The home Narcisa lives in with her family

Steve added: “When we arrived the children were given shoeboxes and the delight and excitement they brought was something so special!

“Whilst opening the boxes Narcisa told us her dream was to one day go to school, so she could learn to read and write, and her only other wish was to have a plastic bowl so she could wash her hair!”

2021 proved to be a record year for the charity, which has collected more shoeboxes from across the UK than ever before.

Boxes are either on their way, or have already been distributed, to children and families in Bosnia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Romania.

(L to R) Paul Jeanes, Romania partners - Raul Gherle, Cristina and Sergiu Borz