This blog entry is about a very sad situation that I think people should know about. I often fly to Bucharest and travel down to Ruse. I know Bucharest quite well and sometimes stay for a night or two. Bucharest certainly has a sense of being an upwardly mobile city ready for full EU membership in a few years time. Not so. During my last visit I was talking to a Romanian who told me about the sewer children. These young people live in the sewers in Bucharest and there are 1000s of them. The children can be as young as 3 or 4 and are orphaned without love or care. They are often forced into prostitution and many die due to Aids or malnutrition
The response by Romanian officials has been a programme of sealing up the tunnels - in Bucharest at least - mainly to stop negative publicity. The orphans soon find their way in again, and council departments lose interest in constantly evicting sewer residents, and having to reseal entrances.
I think this situation is a disgrace and Romania should not be allowed into the EU until it is resolved. The answer is to stop EU funding - hit them where it hurts.
The next time I travel to Bucharest I am going to buy some food and give at least a few of these children a proper meal. If you would like to make a donation please contact me - I invite everyone to participate - just a few pounds each will make a difference and fill a stomach for a few days.
You can donate directly to
www.operationhelpchildren.org
This is an organization that provides help to Romanian children who need access to food, water, education, & health care.
Many thanks
Paul
The response by Romanian officials has been a programme of sealing up the tunnels - in Bucharest at least - mainly to stop negative publicity. The orphans soon find their way in again, and council departments lose interest in constantly evicting sewer residents, and having to reseal entrances.
I think this situation is a disgrace and Romania should not be allowed into the EU until it is resolved. The answer is to stop EU funding - hit them where it hurts.
The next time I travel to Bucharest I am going to buy some food and give at least a few of these children a proper meal. If you would like to make a donation please contact me - I invite everyone to participate - just a few pounds each will make a difference and fill a stomach for a few days.
You can donate directly to
www.operationhelpchildren.org
This is an organization that provides help to Romanian children who need access to food, water, education, & health care.
Many thanks
Paul