Published Date:
01 July 2009
By Staff reporter
A 40ft container packed to the doors with donated goods has left Ballymoney on a six-week journey to The Smiles Foundation in Romania, a Christian Charity who are bringing hope and opportunity to the Romanian and Roma people.
The operation has been co-ordinated by Barbara Morrison along with a team of six who visited Romania in October.
The work of The Smiles Foundation involves food distribution, medical support, social assistance, education, child care, housing provision and evangelistic outreach.
To date they have built a school and community complex which has a medical centre, opticians and a church. They are very involved with a handicapped hospital, and their latest capital project is to build a residential home for the elderly and handicapped.
The container was offered to Barbara by Margaret Murray in November last year.
It was origonally destined for South Africa, but Government ruling changed plans when they decided the donation of second hand clothing was undermining its own textile industry.
This container is unique in that it is fitted with a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen, so once its contents have been emptied, it will become a home for a needy Romanian family.
Barbara would like to thank James and margaret Murray, Gerard and Ailish McAfee, Jonny and Veronica Dowdes and Jonny and Lizzy Doey for the very generous handing over of this container to the Smiles Foundation.
Barbara said: " This container and its contents is going to have a huge impact on the lives of these dear Romanian people. It is a delight to be involved with the charity, and very exciting to see the container finally leaving Ballymoney. I look forward to seeing the results of it being there later in the year, when I visit Romania again."
AB Shipping are taking the container all the way to the Smiles Mission Centre in Cihei, Romania. Its arrival is expected on 10th August 2009.
Barbara would like to thank everyone who donated in any way to the container, and to those who collected items, and helped with the packing. A special thankyou to John McCurry and Sons, Cushendall who sponsored the haulage from Ballymoney to Belfast, and to JSC Building Supplies, Dennis Wilsion,Glenavy, Riada Vetinerary and Armoy Construction who sponsored the shipping of the container.
If anyone is interested in The Smiles Foundation, visit the website : www.thesmilesfoundation.org or contact Barbara on 0788 087 5845
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Last Updated:
29 June 2009 5:38 PM
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Source:
Ballymoney Times
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Location:
Ballymoney
