Leitrim support making a difference for children in Romania

Carrick-on-Shannon woman Veronica Kelly travelled to rural Romania in July as part of her annual volunteering work with children living in poverty at the Maria Stein Children’s Centre in Petroșani. Veronica makes the journey each year as part of the We Can Make A Difference (WCMAD) project, travelling with three other volunteers to support children aged between four and 16.

“I travel out in July every year with three other volunteers from Liverpool. It’s a 12-hour journey to the rural town of Petroșani,” Veronica said. “We pay for our own travel expenses, while basic accommodation and food are provided for us.” The Maria Stein Children’s Centre, supported by Caritas through the Catholic Church, provides basic care for children from impoverished families in the area. “The centre provides a hot meal, a shower and clean clothes every day for the children,” Veronica explained. “Many of them have to work from an early age to help provide for their families.”

During their time in Petroșani, Veronica and the other volunteers organise activities for the children and take them on outings through the WCMAD project. “We help the children through play activities, arts and crafts, and we provide day outings for them,” she said.

For Veronica, the annual trip also brings her face-to-face with the difficult circumstances facing families in some of Romania’s poorer rural communities. “Much more needs to be done,” she said. “Until change happens, these poor rural towns will continue to struggle and depend on help from charities overseas.”

Support for Veronica’s work has also come from much closer to home, with people and organisations in Carrick-on-Shannon and across Leitrim contributing to her fundraising. Customers of Cryan’s Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon have donated €604.40 over the past two years, while Carrick Carnival, Carrick-on-Shannon Tidy Towns and Lock 10 pub in Kilclare have also supported the project. A number of private donations have also been made.

“It is only with the kind donations from the people of Leitrim that we can do this,” Veronica said. The money is used for practical items needed at the centre, and last year the volunteers were able to purchase a washing machine. “The children depend on the centre to wash their clothes,” Veronica said. “Their clothes are all second-hand and have been donated from overseas, so being able to buy the washing machine made a big difference.”

Veronica said the donations raised locally have helped provide basic equipment that the centre would otherwise struggle to afford. “Every donation makes a difference to what we can provide when we go out there,” she said. Having returned again this summer, Veronica thanked those who have continued to support the project from Leitrim.

“On behalf of myself, the volunteers and the Maria Stein Children’s Centre, I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for helping us make a difference to the lives of these children,” she said.