Volunteers for the summer

On 19th July, Mark Flewitt and Tim Tofts – Trustees of The Libra Foundation – visited the embassy on to talk about the charity’s plans for the future. The charity volunteers and trustees were excited about a 5 week programme that was about to start, full of activities aimed at improving the lives of disadvantaged and disabled Romanian children. We invited them to share their impressions on our blog. 

This year the Libra Foundation brought 79 sixth form students and 35 leaders from the UK to Romania to run projects in eight locations across the centre and north east of the country. Libra works closely with Romanian NGOs and town halls to ensure that its work is sensibly focused and carefully planned.

Each project is designed to satisfy the needs of a range of beneficiaries including young people with special needs, the children of the rural poor and the Rroma community. Libra promotes the integration of these marginalised groups by involving large numbers of Romanian volunteers who work alongside their UK counterparts.

This year the theme was ‘a meeting of hearts and minds’, providing a focus for activities spanning arts & crafts, music & drama, sports & games, culture and the environment. Final shows and parties were specifically designed to raise awareness of prejudice and discrimination and further the humanitarian work of Romanian partners.

The Libra Foundation is always on the lookout for businesses and trusts that share its desire to invest in young people both in Romania and the UK and would be interested informing mutually beneficial partnerships. Further details can be found on their website at www.librafoundation.co.uk.