“Hands of Hope” is the name of the Manx charity that we are trustees of, but what does that actually mean?
Chris & I are the regular volunteer “Hands” in Romania but we are joined during each year by other folks who visit us and volunteer to use their hands here. There are also many people in the Isle of Man & UK who may never visit us personally but who are willing hands giving support by praying for us and the work, donating funds, clothes, medicines and building materials, helping to construct building panels, collecting and packing clothes including our friends and fellow trustees James and Selina Vickers. We are also blessed to be helped by others here in Romania, people who work for other charities, friends from our church here and also the families who we help who then help us to help others in need.
The main focus of our work where our hands do most work in the village area of Cobila in the Sendricini Commune just outside Dorohoi in Botosani County. Here we help support 7 families on a regular basis. We and they alike work together as friends indeed as family and we aim to encourage a sense of community.
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| Speranţă |
Part of this sense of community comes from the sharing of land and resources including the produce from a cow and three goats. Earlier in the year many of the community worked the fields by hand to ensure what we hope will be the best crop of maize to date. The cow and goats regularly give enough milk to supplement the diet of all the families.
The cost of the seed and ploughing etc. is supported by the charity; some of the animals have been generously donated by supporters in the Isle of Man. The goat Brianna was donated the Elvin family last year. The cow was donated to one of our families last year by a charity based a few miles away from us (Matthews House). In exchange for grazing on charity land some of her milk is donated to other families. The cow was named by her new owner and he decided to call her Speranţă (Hope), as he said she was a symbol of the Cobila community and the hope that people had when they were given a new home and a new start in life J
See www.handsofhope.org.im for more information and details
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| The 3 Goats Brianna,Sophia and Valentina with some of the children from the Cobila community |
