Widow & mother fights for better future for her 7 children
“I worked at a dairy since I was 14 and my hands are not used to resting for a minute without doing something. After Gheorghe passed away, life became harder for us, but I must take care of my children, to feed and send them to school”, says Mirela.
I worked at a dairy since I was 14 and my hands are not used to resting for a minute without doing something Mirela cares for seven of her children and a three-year-old granddaughter in a tiny two-room house on the outskirts of Conacu village, located 60km from Constanta County in north-west Romania. Her two older children are married and have families of their own.
Apart from its isolation, the village has no running water – like most of Romanian villages and communes.
With the exception of a private agricultural farm near the village, which provides employment for some residents, Conacu boasts very limited employment opportunities and unemployment levels are worryingly high.
The daily struggle to get by is etched into the raw bricks of the Dinte’s house, made out of mood, straw and water. Inside, the walls are painted green, but they are scratched and bear the wear and tear of busy little hands over many years. The family shares beds crammed into the two rooms, which doesn’t leave room for privacy, let alone space for homework or playing.
Three of the Dinte children go to primary school, including Elena, 12, Ionut 11, and Mariana, 15. Daughter Nicoleta, 17, dropped out of high school because of the cost of transportation and now helps her mother to work their small plot of land. Gabriela, 4, and Fanel, 6, attend kindergarten and eight-month-old Mihaela and three-year-old Elena keep their mother and grandmother busy at home.
Mirela and husband Gheorghe had been married for 21 years, when he lost his battle with pulmonary cancer after a period working in construction, in Italy.
“My biggest bitterness is that I don’t have a secure environment for my children, as last year, thieves stole an eight-month-old foal, six geese from the lake and three hand-carts full of maize”, says Mirela.
My biggest bitterness is that I don’t have a secure environment for my children Mirela is grateful for support offered by World Vision when times have been especially difficult. Two of Elena’s children are enrolled in the sponsorship project and Elena, 13, is a sponsored child.
“I always found support in World Vision. The help they gave me really matters. When I didn’t have almost any food in the house, they came and brought me supplies. And, for me, like mother, the most important thing is to give my children a sandwich at school, which, unfortunately, is not happening all the time... Also, my children received sweets, books and school supplies on International Children’s Day, which gave them a lot of joy”, Mirela says.
“Our monthly income of 750 lei (US$200) is comprised of a 400 lei government allowance for all the children and a 350 lei inheritance pension. We don’t receive social help from the state because I have five hectares of land. So, I struggle to plant maize and corn every year in order to nourish a pig or two and have some meat for the children,” Mirela explains.
Mariana and Ionut are both eighth grade students and try to be good pupils. Their mother wants to send them all to the high school located in Cobadin, the nearest commune, because sending them to school further away would cost too much.
“It doesn’t matter if they want to or not, I will send them to high school. Now transportation is paid by the state, so there is no reason to abandon school”, says Mirela.
This mother dreams for a better life for her children than the one she has lived. She wants her daughters to have enough money to buy bread without being in debt to the grocery store month after month. She doesn’t want lack of choices to force her daughters to hand-wash mountains of clothes, three times a week, with water boiled on the stove, like she has to do. “Sometimes, when my son Ionut skips school, I tease him saying that I will send him to take care of the cows, on the farm. He laughs but I see in his eyes a trace of fear”, Mirela shares.
As part of the sponsorship project, World Vision has frequently provided the family with clothes and shoes for the children, packages of food, washing powder and other useful items. In December, in time for Christmas, Mirela received enough food supplies to last the family two to three months – meaning she could allocate money for other necessities.
Much to their delight and fascination, the Dinte children received toys such as cars, dolls and a tricycle. In the past, they have had to play with an improvised cradle made out of a raffia sack and a rope.
World Vision is also helping Cobadin’s leaders to drill wells for families in Conacu village, so that families like the Dinte’s will finally have access to clean running water.
Busy with her seven children and granddaughter, Elena can’t leave her house for more than an hour. Drawing breath, she confesses that she desperately wishes to see her parents who live in Tulcea County, near Constanta County. She hasn’t seen them in seven years and would love for them to meet her three youngest children, in whom she has hope for the future.
Further information
- In Cobadin commune, World Vision has run a Community Development Project since 2002.
- Some 639 children, aged between 3 and 16 are enrolled in the project.
I worked at a dairy since I was 14 and my hands are not used to resting for a minute without doing something Mirela cares for seven of her children and a three-year-old granddaughter in a tiny two-room house on the outskirts of Conacu village, located 60km from Constanta County in north-west Romania. Her two older children are married and have families of their own.
Apart from its isolation, the village has no running water – like most of Romanian villages and communes.
With the exception of a private agricultural farm near the village, which provides employment for some residents, Conacu boasts very limited employment opportunities and unemployment levels are worryingly high.
The daily struggle to get by is etched into the raw bricks of the Dinte’s house, made out of mood, straw and water. Inside, the walls are painted green, but they are scratched and bear the wear and tear of busy little hands over many years. The family shares beds crammed into the two rooms, which doesn’t leave room for privacy, let alone space for homework or playing.
Three of the Dinte children go to primary school, including Elena, 12, Ionut 11, and Mariana, 15. Daughter Nicoleta, 17, dropped out of high school because of the cost of transportation and now helps her mother to work their small plot of land. Gabriela, 4, and Fanel, 6, attend kindergarten and eight-month-old Mihaela and three-year-old Elena keep their mother and grandmother busy at home.
Mirela and husband Gheorghe had been married for 21 years, when he lost his battle with pulmonary cancer after a period working in construction, in Italy.
“My biggest bitterness is that I don’t have a secure environment for my children, as last year, thieves stole an eight-month-old foal, six geese from the lake and three hand-carts full of maize”, says Mirela.
My biggest bitterness is that I don’t have a secure environment for my children Mirela is grateful for support offered by World Vision when times have been especially difficult. Two of Elena’s children are enrolled in the sponsorship project and Elena, 13, is a sponsored child.
“I always found support in World Vision. The help they gave me really matters. When I didn’t have almost any food in the house, they came and brought me supplies. And, for me, like mother, the most important thing is to give my children a sandwich at school, which, unfortunately, is not happening all the time... Also, my children received sweets, books and school supplies on International Children’s Day, which gave them a lot of joy”, Mirela says.
“Our monthly income of 750 lei (US$200) is comprised of a 400 lei government allowance for all the children and a 350 lei inheritance pension. We don’t receive social help from the state because I have five hectares of land. So, I struggle to plant maize and corn every year in order to nourish a pig or two and have some meat for the children,” Mirela explains.
Mariana and Ionut are both eighth grade students and try to be good pupils. Their mother wants to send them all to the high school located in Cobadin, the nearest commune, because sending them to school further away would cost too much.
“It doesn’t matter if they want to or not, I will send them to high school. Now transportation is paid by the state, so there is no reason to abandon school”, says Mirela.
This mother dreams for a better life for her children than the one she has lived. She wants her daughters to have enough money to buy bread without being in debt to the grocery store month after month. She doesn’t want lack of choices to force her daughters to hand-wash mountains of clothes, three times a week, with water boiled on the stove, like she has to do. “Sometimes, when my son Ionut skips school, I tease him saying that I will send him to take care of the cows, on the farm. He laughs but I see in his eyes a trace of fear”, Mirela shares.
As part of the sponsorship project, World Vision has frequently provided the family with clothes and shoes for the children, packages of food, washing powder and other useful items. In December, in time for Christmas, Mirela received enough food supplies to last the family two to three months – meaning she could allocate money for other necessities.
Much to their delight and fascination, the Dinte children received toys such as cars, dolls and a tricycle. In the past, they have had to play with an improvised cradle made out of a raffia sack and a rope.
World Vision is also helping Cobadin’s leaders to drill wells for families in Conacu village, so that families like the Dinte’s will finally have access to clean running water.
Busy with her seven children and granddaughter, Elena can’t leave her house for more than an hour. Drawing breath, she confesses that she desperately wishes to see her parents who live in Tulcea County, near Constanta County. She hasn’t seen them in seven years and would love for them to meet her three youngest children, in whom she has hope for the future.
Further information
- In Cobadin commune, World Vision has run a Community Development Project since 2002.
- Some 639 children, aged between 3 and 16 are enrolled in the project.
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