Romania: Forget Me Not Ministries

Credit: Google Maps

As many of you already know, my first stop on this European adventure is the country of Romania.  Sar has been traveling to Tinca, a Roma camp outside of Oradea every summer for the last several years and this summer I'm joining her.  We'll be spending June 12-July 3 helping Rachel at Forget Me Not Ministries.

Photo credit: fmnministries.org

In April they will be starting a mentoring program for the very young mothers in the camp (as young as 9!) in an effort to lessen the number of children abandoned by their mothers.  I've seen what happens when babies are born to girls and women who are under-supported and easily overwhelmed: In Cincinnati that too often leads to being shaken, dipped in pots of hot water, or left home alone for days in the same diaper.  Even in situations where the young mother is trying to do her very best for her baby, the story can end in my hospital after she has watered down formula to make it last longer (which causes the brain to swell from a shortage of sodium in the body, resulting in seizures, coma, and often death).  
In Romania, young girls having babies can continue the cycle of hopelessness that led to the situation in the first place: children being abandoned to be raised by distant or elderly family members...or worse.

My hope is to contribute some very basic pediatric health and child development classes for these girls while I am there.  Rachel's organization will continue to mentor the girls after I have gone, and will also help provide things like diapers, formula, and medicine to the girls in the program. (In exchange for being in the mentoring program, the girls' husbands have to come work in the gardens, which help sustain other aspects of the ministry).  

I would like to be able to take some supplies with me to help lessen the burden on the ministry.  I attempted to contact Proctor and Gamble but was told that they are not allowed to contribute to missions outside of the United States.  
If anyone has any ties to companies that produce or distribute baby's/children's products and feel like helping, please let me know.  Also, if anyone wants to help out by sending things their children no longer want or need, that would be AWESOME!  Since I'll only be packing my carry-on for my trip, I have room for fifty pounds of supplies that can be checked in my suitcase for free (eliminating that whole sticky dilemma of whether it's really worth the shipping costs to send donated items).

Photo Credit: Sar

Examples of items that would be helpful for the families and/or ministry:

• diapers and diaper wipes
• unopened and unexpired bottles of children's Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or vitamins
• gently used toys, clothes, or books (any age)
• baby shampoo/soaps
• plastic gloves (Hepatitis is a big concern)
• child health items like bulb suction, bandaids, toothbrushes

If you are or will be in the Cincinnati area before June 12, please consider sending something over with us.  If you are outside the Cincinnati area, please consider donating the items to someone close to where you live, because I do not want anyone to waste money on shipping costs that could be used to help others.