Severe cold forces families to choose between food and wood for heating...

ROMANIA- “If I had to choose between wood and food, we would choose wood; we would die without heating”, says Tiberiu, a father of five children in Camarasu commune, in northwest Romania. Sadly this winter, that choice was no longer hypothetical- it became a reality. As a result, Tiberiu, his wife and their five children have become well acquainted with hunger.

“We don’t have anything else to eat except for a potato. That’s all we have,” explains the mother.

Here in Cluj county, families are struggling against severe cold and snow with temperatures plummeting to -30 degrees. If not for firewood to heat their homes, people would die.

Coupled with empty stomachs is a real lack of appropriate winter clothing. 

One of the elder children in the family wears a pair of synthetic sneakers. Another boy wears a pair of old boots, received from his god-mother, just before the cold started. All five children attend school and need clothes and shoes to withstand the cold and snow.

"We don’t have much wood for fire; we don’t have proper clothes and shoes for the children. I have five kids to keep at school"

Yet their parents, like so many in rural Romania, are unemployed and it’s a struggle to provide warm shoes and clothing for each child.

The family relies on the children’s allowances and social aid. Together, that amounts to just 100 Euros per month, for a family of seven.

Until last year Tiberiu worked in construction. But due to the economic crisis and lay offs, he is no longer able to provide a constant income for his family. During the warmer seasons he is a daily worker for other people in the commune. But things have become much harder since the arrival of winter.

The family lives in a minuscule home, made of clay.  “We don’t have much wood for fire; we don’t have proper clothes and shoes for the children. I have five kids to keep at school”, says the mother.

“It’s a lot to feed, clad and keep clean”, continues the father.

As part of World Vision’s emergency response to the cold weather crisis, the family has received food for at least a week, which will allow them to use their few resources to buy wood or other essentials for the children.  This winter they also received a stove for cooking and heating through World Vision’s economic development programme.

Another 93 families and 300 children living in mountainous and hilly areas, in isolated communities, were assisted with food rations through an emergency response conducted by World Vision Romania between 7 and 10 February 2012. A fundraising campaign has been launched on Romania’s web page and in the national media to raise funds for further support to ensure children are cared for and protected.