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The party were met at Budapest Airport by the Foundation minibus that we travelled in for the next week with our guide, Agnes.  Agnes is the chairperson of the Saint Francis Foundation, an excellent interpreter and great fun.  We stayed the first night in her home town of Szekszárd, Hungary, and after a very late meal fell into bed.  One of the customs in Hungary and Transylvania seems to be to serve visitors a small glass of strong liquor, called palinka.  At every meal and visit we were served with a glass.  

We crossed the Romanian border the next morning and our first stop was at St. Mary's Children's Home in Déva, where we met Brother Csaba (pronounced 'Chaba').  

Brother Csaba started the Foundation in the early 1990s after the fall of communism and when many children were abandoned or orphaned due to the increase in unemployment and poverty.  At that time the Franciscan monks renovated the old cloisters to house many homeless children and since then have managed to buy the adjoining block of flats to accommodate many more youngsters.  Now each flat houses a 'family' consisting of 10 children with a house mother or father.

The children were happy and well cared for.  It was wonderful to see the love and affection shown to them by Brother Csaba and all the helpers, and returned by the children.  

Children from the Home at Déva

We ate with them in the communal dining area and stayed at the orphanage for the night.  The four ladies from our group had a dormitory in the main Déva complex with Douglas and Hilary downstairs, whilst the rest of us walked down the road to the student rooms where we stayed 4 to a room.  It was an interesting night, with lots of laughter, and the next day, of course, tales of snoring!

Phantom block outside 

Phantom block inside 

The next day, after breakfast at the orphanage, we were taken to a block of flats known as the 'Phantom Blocks'.  This is where the poorest people in the area live, the whole family in one small room, with no gas, electricity or water.  Most of these are Romany people who would have worked on the land, but with little work available now, they have been forced out.  These men and women just have no future and often turn to cheap drink as a comfort: a very depressing scene indeed.  We distributed clothing to the families and some chocolate to the children, which were gratefully received.  Many children from the blocks come into the children’s home when their parents can no longer afford to feed and clothe them.  The parents can still visit them, but unfortunately many are forced to move away with trying to find work.  The poverty and deprivation were unbelievable and when we walked away and got in the bus we certainly had something to think about.

We then started a long and interesting journey, visiting four of the other homes, at Tusnádfürdõ, Torockó and Szalonta, in this very small minibus. Needless to say, the jokes and laughter kept us all in good spirits.  The Foundation receives very little help from the state but thanks to private and international help, it has been able to buy and sustain 19 buildings where children can live in a loving and caring community and get a good education.  Each house adopts the same pattern as Déva, with children living in small 'family' units.  

Everywhere we stopped we were made very welcome by the children and helpers, sharing a meal with them and playing with the youngsters. The children all had their jobs to do at meal times and would all say grace before and after their meal.  They seemed to be intrigued by our singing grace, but it was probably our out of tune voices!

For a couple of nights we stayed out in the country at a lovely, small guest house owned by a friend of Agnes. We had the house, with lots of separate bedrooms, all to ourselves. The food and surrounding countryside were beautiful.  (On the first morning, a man was seen taking his horse and cow for a walk!)

On our travels we also went to see some of the Foundation’s day-care houses that are scattered around the various country areas. These were started in September 2005 by Brother Csaba, as many children who attend local schools do not have facilities at home to do further study and often cannot be adequately fed by their parents due to extreme poverty.  So they can now attend the day-care homes to do their homework and receive regular meals, before going home to their parents.  They are also taught life skills such as cooking and gardening, and the schools are also open at weekends.  Often, these Day-care homes are in small houses which are in a poor state of repair, with very few facilities, but the love and dedication shown by the teachers has to be seen to be believed.  

On one of these visits we were delighted to be able to hand over a cheque (which came from the birthday gifts of one of Trinity Church's members) to pay for a new kitchen and it was more than gratefully received, with tears of joy from the teacher.  We also handed over cards from the Guides and some beautiful bags, made by another member of Trinity Church, for the children to carry their books in.  At one of the houses we went to, the children had made us cards and plaster and wooden gifts which were really attractive.  Mick and Helen had great fun with the kids here, having a game guessing their names.  There were hoots of laughter.

One of the highlights of our week-long trip was the visit to 'Congleton House' in Torockó, where most of the funds raised by Children of Romania (Congleton) go. 

It was wonderful to see the improvements that had been made thanks to donations from Congleton people.  An old barn has been completely converted so as to be able to house up to 30 children.  

Here, we presented them with a banner made by 'Footsteps', the young people's group at Trinity Church.  They were delighted.  

They sleep in dormitories upstairs and there is a large room downstairs where they can all eat together.  There is a large garden for them to play in and they grow their own vegetables.  They also have a donkey, chickens and dogs to care for.  

Torockó is a beautiful, small village in the mountains, so the air is very good for the children.   Hopefully, in the future, it will become a popular tourist area, which will help the local economy, enabling some of the children to gain employment there and stay in the area.  For background information on the village, which is known in Romanian as Rimetea, see http://www.rounite.com/2009/04/24/rimetea/.

During our visit, Douglas, Hilary, Colin and Margaret agreed that the charity would fund further improvements to Congleton House. over the next 5 years.

Tusnádfürd? Children's Home 

Szalonta Children's Home 

Many of the children go off to university and come back to work for the foundation.  For those young people who are not so studious there are various skills they can learn in the woodwork shops and maintenance areas.  Some are married and now have families of their own.  As far as the Foundation is concerned, they can stay in a safe and secure environment until they are ready to leave.  The only rule is that they are all members of the team and so are expected to work, which they all seem very willing to do.

Brother Csaba and the Saint Francis Foundation have saved and cared for more than 1,500 endangered children and young people – a real miracle.  Wherever we visited, we felt and saw a warm, family atmosphere which is nurtured by a Christian spirit and we all felt humbled by the experience.

         
scenes from Budapest 

And so we travelled back across the border to Budapest where we were able to spend some time simply seeing the sights.  A highlight was a visit to a restaurant where they had a belly dancer for entertainment.  Douglas was chosen to have a go, but Revd Philip was the undoubted the star: dancing on the table!  (Photograph available for a donation to the charity!)

Avril Waghorn & Helen Moody