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German-Romanian Friendship Community in Saarland e.V - Deutsch-Rumänischer Freundschaftskreis im Saarland e.V.
The German Romanian Friendship Community in Saarland was founded in 1989 by the former local politician Willi Gehring and some close friends in order to fight against the suffering and hunger in the former bread basket of the east. Already before the political collapse in Romania, the initiators of the German Romanian Friendship Community could see the misery the people were in.
After the inhumane dictator of the Ceausescu-Regime had been defeated, democratic systems, which are currently strengthening, gradually began to emerge in Romania. Nevertheless for decades oppression reigned, and the complete economical collapse of Romania can still be seen today. The suffering and misery can be seen everywhere. For visitors from Germany, the conditions outside the cities seem to be as they were hundreds of years ago.
Unfortunately, it is a fact and tragic that a country in the middle of Europe still has so many families, children and youths who are starving. They have despicable healthcare, and necessary new clothing and shoes are a luxury. The situation in schools, nurseries, and children's homes is distressing. The same goes for hospitals and retirement homes. The hygiene conditions are mostly a total catastrophe and sufficient medical supplies are almost unheard of.
Romania shows that even in Europe we have third world conditions. Direct aid reaches, at the forefront, families with children, sick and the elderly, as well as schools, nurseries, children's homes, retirement homes and hospitals.
Direct aid works in Romania to provide structural and organised self-help for Romanians and their country. Our projects weren't set up simply to provide our Romanian friends with the most important things. With our aid plan we want to show the people that through direct examples and motivation, as well as through channelled information exchange, a way towards a better economic and cultural future can be achieved.
You can visit the websites of the organisations directly and make your donation there. Our main aim is to inform you and this is very close to our heart. As we are aware of the time-consuming aspect of research and we want to make it easier for you to get informed, we often collect information for days or even weeks.
The organisations we donate to are not responsible for the content of this t-shirt/ design. The content does not necessarily reflect their opinion.
About the theme:
We want these designs to take on the role of a snapshot in time representing the 21st century and showing what is going on.
We want to be able to take all paths!
This design was developed in Berlin. We were handing out leaflets letting people know about our competition and our current projects.
By chance, we gave a leaflet to (a Sinti named) Petro and got talking to him. Petro said, he would love to take part in our competition. However, he was not able to draw, but shared his view about the issue with us. He gave us five words, which he wanted us to print on a t-shirt, and the sentence "We want to be able to take all paths."
We asked him, what this sentence meant for him. He replied: "It means freedom - children should be included in and not discriminated by society. Children should have the chance to take any paths"! He said that most parents worry about their children and they would like to be a role model for their children. More than just poverty and begging. "Our children also dream of becoming a doctor or lawyer. They have dreams, however at a certain age, they lose them because they realize their dreams can not come true. They start resigning and give up in the same way as almost everyone on the streets has given up". He said, "almost everyone, but I'm still here". "Society and each individual should ask themselves why we live like this."
"We are forced to live like this. Hundreds of people walk past every day. No one asks me, whether they can help or if we can take a path together. They just look away. The look the other way. Everyone thinks, what can I do? I won't be able to do anything. Yes, you can! Start here with me, that's what I think". Petro is waiting for such a question. "Every single day, I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that someone will ask me and becomes aware of the difficult conditions I'm in."
We promised Petro to create a t-shirt with his words.
We thanked him for this open and very emotional conversation and sent his words to our designer in Alexandria. She created the basis for this design. Our designer in Germany modified the design. We couldn't decide for one or the other and simply used both!
Now, it is up to you to decide!
Enjoy! Your Baraq team
Info
Attention! We are making a film about Slovakian Roma
London: Romanian Gypsies - Homeless urged to leave the city
This piece first broadcast on 19 Jul 2013. Televised on UK's regional television BBC1 London. Programme (Program) -- London News.
Romanian Gypsy Child Thieves of Europe
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