Project Aletheia
Project Aletheia is the humanitarian aid organisation of the Church of God Luxembourg. It was initially established as a humanitarian aid soup kitchen in L’viv, Ukraine. We are, however, very pleased to announce that the Soup Kitchen has now been closed since there is now no need for it. The State pays out basic incomes to the needy, which is not excessive, but it is enough to live on. This project was followed by support for a school for deaf children (Zovka), in the same country. We are able to withdraw from this work, thanks to a Swedish church taking over the full support of these – now – very happy children.
Our work now is supporting a project in Romania. This involves us joining with the Regen Foundation in Făgăraș, Romania that is run by Petry Groza. Petry is a native Romanian and is our on-site point of contact. He is part of the leadership team of Bethany Baptist Church in town where he serves by preaching, teaching and leading the worship.
Here is a short description of the work taking place in Romania:
The Regen Foundation’s main vision is to share the Gospel with the underprivileged while showing God’s love in practical ways. We believe that there are so many in Romania in need of regeneration and the Gospel brings transformation. Therefore, Regen strives to build relationships with children, youth and parents in a few locations around the area of Făgăraș, Romania.
The city of Făgăraș is a city of approximately 30,000 people with villages around that raise the area’s population to over 100,000. Regen reaches out to three main locations: Combinat (Făgăraș), Mândra and Toarcla.
Most of the people Regen works with are people living in poverty with more than 85% of them being of Roma ethnicity. The main programmes used by Regen to make a difference in the community are:
Homework clubs’ programme > a programme where over 50 children receive educational help during the week. The Regen team and volunteers work with children that do not have any help otherwise. Bible lessons, crafts, homework aid are only a few of the things that the Homework Clubs participants experience.
Horizon of Hope Centre > a transition centre where young people over 18 receive help when they find themselves in harder places in life. So far, the Horizon of Hope centre has invested in orphans, young people from dysfunctional families, young families in need of a place to stay through the winter, etc. Through the HOH centre, Regen provides various learning opportunities such as vocational courses, Bible courses, language courses, job opportunities.
The Wood Workshop > one of the problems found in the poor communities is the lack of desire to work or hold a job for a longer period. This is where Regen realised that the children and youth from the poor areas need a place where they can see that working is fun and that creating something with your hands can be rewarding. Therefore, the Wood Workshop has been created. The Wood shop is used to hold training events where youth and children can work and build various things with their own hands.
Shine Little Star programme > because of the high number of children participating in the Regen Homework Clubs programme, the SLS programme selects a smaller number of children and invests in them in a more detailed and efficient way. The 12-14 children selected each year in the programme participate three days a week in an afterschool programme where Mirela, a teacher, works with them on the following subjects: Romanian, Mathematics, English and the Bible.
Training Events > part of our vision is to also to reach out to the adults, mainly the parents of the children that Regen works with. Therefore, a few times a year Regen organises training for the parents addressing issues found in their communities such as family violence, parenting, hygiene care, etc.