All About Ourselves

 

	SOMETHING FOR ROMANIA is a charity registered in Scotland under a Trust Deed. It was founded in 1990 by Lachie MacLeod MBE who initially  made trips to Romania at least twice yearly, by articulated lorry with medical equipment and supplies for the impoverished population of Romania. Our efforts are now concentrated (but not to the exclusion of other organisations and individuals) on raising money to support Fundatia Crestina Diakonia , a Romanian charity, which provides homecare and free palliative care for seriously and terminally ill patients. Nursing care is provided in the patients homes by a team of professionals, which include a doctor, nurses, social worker and other professionals . Annual salaries for some of these professionals and other palliative care costs such as training are met by SFR. As income increases so does the ability to support more vital workers.
During the first 12 we focused on taking lorry loads of relief aid to Romania.Using our own articulated trailers which were towed by tractor units donated by W.H. Malcolm and Galt Transport, Dumbarton (www.galttransport.co.uk) The latter have supported us from the very beginning in 1991 and have continued to do so in many ways.  Their help has been tremendous to say the least. West Dunbartonshire Council  donated warehouse space where we stored goods prior to shipment. Much of the hundreds of tonnes of aid we have delivered has been medical equipment and supplies for hospitals which are still chronically short of essentials. While we bought new equipment with the funds we raised, we also collected used items. Hospital equipment, which is obsolete or not up to standard for use in this country can make a big difference in Romania. We have delivered used mattresses, wheelchairs, monitors and even x-ray equipment all donated from British hospitals. Our efforts have been concentrated on a group of hospitals in Cluj Napoca, the capital city of Transylvania, and in Brasov, a city famous for its winter sports facilities. Conditions in the countryside are also primitive, with animals still being used for cultivation. We have provided agricultural supplies, seed, implements and a Ferguson 35 tractor. A sectional building for use as a store by a Romania charity has also been delivered.		Why we go to Romania
	OPERATIONAL POLICY Income purely by donation. No paid staff, ensuring minimum overheads and negligible administration costs. We have constant liaison with Romanian medical staff, in order to ensure best possible utilisation of funds. Spreading the Gospel Message 'That Christ died for sinners' is the foundation on which we build our hope
Lachie MacLeod was born on the Isle of Skye. He came to Glasgow in 1965 and became a policeman in 1970. He is now retired, having served for more than 30 years with Strathclyde Police, the last 15 of which were spent patrolling the M8 through and around Glasgow. He is a committed Christian, and now devotes his time to Something for Romania Lachie started collecting relief aid for Eastern Europe in 1987 after hearing of the conditions there from a minister friend and set up this registered charity in 1990. Much of his free time and holidays since then have been dedicated to the cause. He runs "Something for Romania" from his Dunbartonshire home with the support of his wife, Isobel, daughters Lorna and Lorraine, and an enthusiastic band of friends. Lachie was awarded the MBE in 1996, in recognition of his charity and police work.		Free Church of Scotland website
	While we have a duty to provide for the physical needs of the poor we also have a greater duty to provide for their spiritual wellbeing. To be asked for a Bible by a woman, with tears flowing down her cheeks, is a moving experience and one not readily forgotten! The provision of Gospel literature and Bibles is therefore a very important part of the Charity's work in a country where there is a real hunger for God's Word.

 

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