Archita, Romania - Community Profile

Total population: 1080 adults and children, approximately 90% (972) Roma people.

Problems we see

• Lack of proper housing, fresh drinking water, sanitation and living conditions.
• Lack of basic food and medicine during the winter, when most of them do not work.
• Limited access to education due to their living conditions.
• Limited access to welfare as they do not know their rights.
• 50% of the Roma were illiterate in 2001, according to statistics.
• Many of them do not have IDs, which implies they have no access to jobs, state allowances, no health assistance, no proper food or living conditions.

Goals

It is the goal of Reach Out to Romania to raise enough funds to purchase a strategic building that is situated in the center of the village. The intention is to transform this location into a sanitary-hygienic facility & meeting hall for church services and also for an ‘after school’ program working with the Roma children.

Why this site?

Besides being in a central location, we will have access to two wells and will be able to provide enough water for the sanitary hygiene facility and a kitchen with a dining hall . The land around it, about 10-acres, can be used for other community programs.