“Hope Above Water” Project Assists Flood Victims in Romania

By: ADRA Romania, Inter-European Division News, and Adventist Review

In Romania, the capital city, Bucharest, and several locations across 20 counties in the country have been affected by heavy rainfall in early July 2018. After the floods, preventive measures were taken in the locations where the risk was the greatest.

It was difficult to estimate the damage, and needs were great, explained leaders of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Romania. “The most destitute and vulnerable are the elderly, especially those who have no help from relatives close by,” a spokesperson said.

Hope Above Water

ADRA Romania provided aid on site under the project “Speranțămaipresusde ape” [“Hope Above Water”]. After officers of ADRA Romania received the news and calls for help from field assistants all over the country, the relief organization moved fast to support flooded families by providing them with food, water, and personal hygiene items.

Romania Seventh-day Adventist Church president Stefan Tomoiaga shared what the church is doing in the aftermath of the floods and asked for church members’ prayers and support.

“At this time, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Romania is close to those who suffer and respond with love to the needs of the flood victims from Moldova, Transylvania, Muntenia, Dobrogea, and the Oltenia regions,” said Tomoiaga. “I encourage my brothers and sisters to look to our Father in heaven, who gave everything, and to remember our Savior’s words: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive!’”

Tomoiaga called for church members to actively engage in helping those affected by the floods. “It is time to get involved and bring comfort to the afflicted. Today is the day our heavenly Father invites us to commit,” he said.

ADRA Romania country director Robert Georgescu detailed the activities the organization is carrying out to support those affected and asked for additional assistance and financial support.

“ADRA Romania joins the call wholeheartedly for solidarity with the flood victims and will provide emergency humanitarian intervention, adding to the efforts from the authorities building materials and support for rebuilding homes,” Georgescu shared. “We are called to be the extended arms in addition to [providing] material and financial donations that are so much needed these days. All volunteers can find a place in this humanitarian intervention.”

Regional leaders said that those who want to join the ADRA Romania team and get involved can do so by volunteering, donating items (food, hygiene and cleaning items, clothing and footwear, blankets, and building materials), or making a financial contribution to the “Hope Above Water” fund.

“All those who wish to join the ADRA Romania team and get involved can do so by contacting the area managers or ADRA project coordinators,” a spokesperson said.

ADRA is the global humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Through an international network, ADRA delivers relief and development assistance to individuals in more than 130 countries—regardless of their ethnicity, political affiliation, or religious association.