Despite joining the EU in 2007, many of the village traditions continue to this day and it's always a great respite to get out of the city and visit these small places where the villagers congregate on the streets to talk about the latest town scandal and the cows walk through the streets in the evening back to their yard where they can bed down for the night. This is real life Romania and a treat for any tourist who wants to see more than the world's second largest building or tank themselves up on the finest of Romanian brews.
With EU investment, a lot has changed. Some will argue for the better and others fervently disagree. As the older generation depletes, less and less reminisce and long for the golden days of Communism when everyone had a job and everyone was taken care of. Like much of the EU and the West, some are more focused on materialism and looking after themselves while others go abroad seeking fame and fortune. Sadly, for those who were locked away from public eyes, the days of Ceasescu and his regime of horror and oppression still play a huge part in their lives.
Yesterday, UK broadcaster Channel 4 showed the following news report from Bucharest, the 7th largest city in the European Union, and one that Bridging The Gap is proud to call home. In fact, the report comes from less than a mile from where we write this blog post. It's shocking but it's real. This has been going on for years in the sewers under the city's main train station.
Please take the 13 minutes necessary to watch the report. This isn't sensationalism. This isn't propaganda. This is what's happening in the European Union.
Ian Tilling is a friend of BTG who has been running Casa Ioana, Bucharest's leading charity for homeless people, for over 20 years. He knows Bucharest. He knows how it works. This is what he has to say:
"Where there is a lack of adequate social services - public or private - the vulnerable will find those who will exploit them. 'Bruce Lee' is not a saint - he is a drugs baron. And yet his followers have no one else to turn to. To provide social services in Romania means having to go through an extremely difficult accreditation process. The fact that two thirds of local authorities which provide social services are unable to succeed with accreditation is ignored. For the private sector, we face large fines if we don't. I bet that Raluca (featured in the film) is not accredited, but is probably providing services that are desperately needed and largely ignored by the authorities. And if we complain...."
You can read more about Casa Ioana and their work here
