[AMSUVA GoodNews] Fw: AMURTEL Romania Summer Update

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Vishvarupananda <vishvarupananda@...>
To: Vishvarupananda <vishvarupananda@...>
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 6:45:53 AM
Subject: Fw: AMURTEL Romania Summer Update

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ananda Devapriya" <anandadevapriya@...>
To: <Undisclosed recipients:>
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 12:51 AM
Subject: AMURTEL Romania Summer Update

> Namaskar Brothers and Sisters
> I have just updated our website, www.romania.amurtel.net with news  
> and pictures from April-July. Please come and see the photographs!!!  
> Here is a brief summary of our recent news:
> 
> AMURTEL Office:
> We are very excited to have just hired an assistent project  
> manager!!! Her name is Iulia and she has international experience  
> working as the president of Pakiv, an organization working for the  
> human rights of the Roma people. She has begun working, assisting in  
> AMURTEL office since the end of June with overall project  
> coordination, fundraising, PR, etc and we are very pleased to be  
> working together - she is definitely a valuable addition to our team.
> 
> Fountain of Hope After School Center:
> Thank you so much to all of the sponsors that helped to finance the  
> hot-lunches in our new after school center. Originally we were  
> expecting 25 children, but from the first month of functioning we  
> consistently served 30 schoolchildren with a nutritious hot  
> vegetarian lunch, homework support and extra-curricular activities  
> including access to computers. The hot lunch program was exclusively  
> funded by individual sponsorships from our Ananda Marga community,  
> and several units that organized special fundraisers, totally  
> approximately 6000 euros. Throughout the course of the year several  
> obstacles were encountered, and overcome by Grace and your support.  
> The first obstacle was that the mayor blocked the opening of the  
> center for 2 weeks, insisting that we serve meat, but through  
> negotiations, partly based on the fact that our sponsors for the food  
> are vegetarians, we were able to overcome that obstacle. The building  
> was extremely cold in the winter, and the small wood burning stoves  
> only heated a small radius, while the rest of the building was  
> freezing. Amici Nel Mondo in Italy, through sister Mrdula came to our  
> aid and donated 6000 euros to cover the installation of a centralized  
> heating system. The community was very inspired to see that the  
> problem was resolved so quickly. Finally, when we completed the first  
> year of our partnership with the local government in April, and the  
> salary costs were to begin to be covered by the townhall, but the  
> mayor claimed that due to elections, he was not able to receive  
> funding until July.  Again, our Ananda Marga community replied to my  
> appeals for aid very efficiently and we were able to raise 2000 euros  
> to cover the costs of salaries for two months. Unfortunately, July  
> has  arrived and despite numerous meetings with the mayor it seems  
> that the community funding is not arriving until September, and in  
> the meantime our staff have remained without salaries. Please if  
> anyone can again offer donations, it will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Familia AMURTEL Panatau
> Some of our young people are very talented singers and have been  
> receiving voice lessons. Mircea, Timea, Elvira and Catalin formed a  
> group and call themselves "The Travellers".  They competed and won a  
> second place in a county level competition and soon are to compete on  
> the national level in Constanta.
> In July, for the second time we organized an outdoor adventure  
> learning experience together with Outward Bound. This time we had 7  
> youth from Panatau, and one from Domnesti. This year Ionut, one of  
> our boys with more severe special needs was able to participate and  
> it was a very inspiring and empowering experience for him. Also one  
> of our younger ones, Bogdan came and did very well. Dada  
> Subuddhyananda came and took beautiful photographs which you can seen  
> on the website. This year the expedition was designed to involve them  
> much more actively in being responsible for all aspects of the  
> experience. The group was divided into teams - one was responsible  
> for guiding the group through the forest reading the map and compass,  
> one was responsible for making a shopping list, buying the food and  
> cooking it during the trip, one was responsible for setting up the  
> tents, making the fire, and making sure everyone packed all the right  
> supplies. This year the experience included repelling, rock climbing,  
> building a raft, and high-ropes course challenges, and team-building  
> exercises. It was wonderful!!!
> 
> Vistara:
> Our youth integration program has had many rocky ups and downs this  
> year. However, I am pleased to say that Iosif is doing very well, and  
> has been holding down a steady job in a supermarket Cora, and paying  
> his expenses regularly. Magdalena has made some big steps towards  
> maturity and for the past 6 months has at last been able to hold down  
> work and pay her own expenses. She is now working in a restaurant  
> washing dishes. Florentina has had more problems, due to some deeper  
> problems that she suffers from. At the moment, she is taking a break  
> in Panatau to recover her energy and take a medical treatment.  
> However, she has just found a job more close to Panatau - and her  
> boyfriend is moving together with her - they will both start working  
> together in a small hotel, and are very positive and excited about  
> this first big step towards real independence.
> 
> Sunrise Kindergartens in Bucharest:
> This school year closed with a very special event - an overnight trip  
> to Poieni where AMURTEL has a vacation house. Our young people from  
> Familia AMURTEL helped to create a memorable experience for the  
> children - Timea, as the "Queen of Nature" brought the children with  
> horsecarts to the top of a mountain where a mischevious imp (Mircea)  
> had stolen her "Seeds of Prosperity".  The children did a treasure  
> hunt to find the seeds, and then plant them in the earth as they  
> could not grow locked in a treasure box! We also had a campfire with  
> veggie barbeque,  went on a star-walk through the darkness, went to  
> the river to play with clay and have a water war, and had a cherry  
> cream cake at the end!
> We also had our annual trip horseriding, visited the Botanical  
> Gardens, and had swimming classes. The year concluded with school  
> plays for the parents in both kindergartens. Photographs of all of  
> these events are now on the website! www.romania.amurtel.net
> 
> Thank you again for your continued support for our work in Romania!  
> If you are able to offer a contribution towards the salaries of our  
> staff at Fountain of Hope, please reply to this email and I can  
> advise you how you can pay online with a credit card.
> 
> Parama pita Baba ki - Jai!
> 
> 
>

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