Radio România Internațional

Tag: vulnerable

  • June 2, 2022 UPDATE

    June 2, 2022 UPDATE

    GOVERNMENT On Thursday the
    Government of Romania passed an emergency order under which pensioners with
    pension benefits below roughly EUR 400 will benefit in July from financial aid
    amounting to EUR 140. The measure is intended to offset the drop in spending
    power for vulnerable people, generated by the recent increase in fuel, food and
    utility prices. Around 3.3 million people will benefit from the aid. Wednesday
    also saw the start of a social voucher distribution programme called ‘Support
    for Romania’. The EUR 50 vouchers are intended for over 2.5 million vulnerable
    Romanians, and can be used for food purchases.


    HOLIDAY Romania, a country
    with an Orthodox majority, Thursday celebrated the Ascension of Lord Jesus
    Christ, 40 days after his resurrection. Orthodox believers celebrated the event
    with painted eggs and traditional Easter meals. Since 1920 Romanians have also
    paid homage to their war heroes on Ascension Day. A series of events have been
    staged to the memory of Romania’s heroes like religious services as well as
    moments of silence in all major institutions across the country. In a message on Heroes Day, the country’s
    Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said ‘our thoughts of gratitude are today directed
    towards those who made the supreme sacrifice for the better destiny of the
    generations to come.’


    POLL Over 70% of Romanians
    blame the war in Ukraine on Russia, according to a poll conducted by INSCOP
    Research over May 16th and 21st. Over 87% of the Romanians believe that Russian
    leaders must be convicted for war crimes and 65% believe the presence of NATO
    and US troops in Romania is a good thing. 50% of the respondents believe
    Ukraine will win the war, whereas 26% believe Russia will be the victor.
    According to the poll, only 25% of Romanians believe Russia is defending
    traditional values against the decadence of the West, as compared to 41% in
    February. 67% of the respondents believe that extraction of natural gas from
    the Black Sea will significantly reduce the country’s dependence on Russian
    gas.


    LETTER Romania’s president
    Klaus Iohannis has sent a congratulation letter to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
    II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on her
    anniversary and the platinum jubilee, the presidential administration in
    Bucharest has announced. The Romanian president voiced his belief that the
    Strategic Partnership between Romania and the UK will continue to be
    consolidated in the future, for the mutual benefit of both nations. Starting on
    Thursday, Britain is celebrating for 4 days the Queen’s 70 years of rule, the
    longest in the kingdom’s history. The government has exceptionally approved a
    four-day bank holiday allowing millions to participate in various events staged
    on this occasion, such as street parties, concerts and military parades.
    According to the BBC, the 96-year-old monarch, who has mobility issues and has
    recently cancelled several public appearances, is likely to join members of the
    Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to watch the display.


    REFUGEES The government of
    Romania Thursday approved the provision of new emergency humanitarian aid
    amounting to EUR 185,000 for the management of the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Also
    as of Thursday, a governmental information platform is available to Ukrainian
    nationals benefiting from temporary protection in Romania. At
    protecţieucraina.gov.ro, refugees can find all the necessary information on the
    rights and services they can receive, how they can enter Romania or answers to
    frequently asked questions in the legal field. The Romanian Border Police
    announced that on Wednesday little over 10,000 Ukrainian citizens entered
    Romania, down 13% since the previous day. Since the start of the crisis in
    Ukraine on February 24, nearly 1.1 million refugees have entered Romania. Most
    of them transited the country towards Western Europe, but several tens of
    thousands applied for asylum or temporary protection from the Romanian
    government. (AMP)

  • Libéralisation des tarifs de l’énergie en Roumanie

    Libéralisation des tarifs de l’énergie en Roumanie

    La Roumanie a procédé, au 1er janvier dernier, à la libéralisation complète des tarifs de lélectricité, qui ne sont plus régulés par lAutorité nationale de régulation dans le domaine de lénergie. Le pays connaît aussi des hausses des tarifs du gaz, libéralisés le 1er juillet 2020. Outre une loi pour protéger le consommateur vulnérable, le gouvernement se propose maintenant aussi de supporter une partie des factures délectricité pour 13 millions de personnes. Ces mesures ont-elles été de bonnes choses ou des erreurs ? « La Roumanie doit se réinventer du point de vue économique », affirme Ioan Cuzman, ancien P.-D.G. de la Société dinvestissements financiers Banat-Crişana et ancien professeur danalyse économique et financière à lUniversité de lOuest de Timişoara.



    En Roumanie, la libéralisation des tarifs de lélectricité, le 1er janvier dernier, apporte des factures sans précédent pour le consommateur final, soit des hausses de lordre de 25 % par rapport à décembre dernier. Entre juin 2020 et juin 2021, la hausse du prix de lélectricité à la Bourse de lénergie a été de 141 %, passant de 24 à 59 euros le MWh. Dans le même temps, les tarifs du gaz ont également augmenté, de 20,49 % en août par rapport à décembre 2020. Une analyse réalisée par lAssociation Energia Inteligentă sur le prix moyen à la Bourse roumaine de marchandises révèle le fait que les tarifs du gaz nont pas atteint les niveaux de 2019, mais malgré cela, les prix qui se sont retrouvés dans les factures du consommateur final ont connu une progression de 150 %. Ainsi, le prix moyen de vente du gaz sur le marché de gros a été en juin dernier de 18,80 euros le MWh, alors que celui pour les clients domestiques a été entre 25 et 32,50 €. Il est vrai que ces tarifs ont aussi connu des hausses dans la plupart des pays dEurope, mais les pourcentages sont nettement moindres. Il va sans dire que les majorations des tarifs de lénergie déclencheront des hausses en cascade de tous les autres prix et tarifs. La Roumanie importe maintenant de lélectricité. Et la spirale ne sarrête pas là, car les prix de lélectricité dans les contrats de juin dernier pour lannée 2022 sont à 73 euros le MWh – le même tarif qu’en Allemagne, pour un salaire minimum presque 5 fois plus important !



    Le pays est un producteur de gaz, dont les réserves lui permettraient de tenir 25-30 ans, et il faut considérer aussi le gisement en mer Noire, une réserve estimée à 200 milliards de mètres cubes, dont le plus grand périmètre est détenu par Exxon et OMV-Petrom, une quantité qui suffirait à la Roumanie pour environ 17 ans. Toutefois, lexploitation ne semble pas avancer, et quand elle commencera, on ne sait pas si ce gaz restera en Roumanie. Ioan Cuzman, la légifération en 2018 relative au calcul des redevances au gaz extrait de Roumanie en fonction du prix du gaz à la Bourse de Vienne est-elle une mesure favorable pour la Roumanie ou une erreur ?




  • Charity projects adjust to the pandemic

    Charity projects adjust to the pandemic

    Apart from inevitable healthcare problems, the 2020 pandemic has deepened and sometimes even created social dramas—mostly affecting the elderly, the homeless, and people with various chronic conditions and addictions. Some of them have been helped, ever since 2011, by Carusel Association, whose volunteers provide social and medical services to extremely vulnerable categories. Carusels executive director Marian Ursan told us what the year 2020 was like for the association and for its beneficiaries.



    Marian Ursan: “It was a terrible year. People faced more severe deprivation. And this includes people who had managed to survive in big cities precisely thanks to the many restaurants and shops that were open and where they would get help. But in addition, people also felt abandoned. On the one hand, because hospitals closed, and many of these people suffer from chronic conditions, such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, HIV. Because access to hospitals was restricted, they were unable to get treatment. Healthcare services focused on the pandemic and all other activities were, not entirely abandoned, but relegated to second place. On the other hand, we continued our work. From the first stages of the pandemic, we all decided that we must not close our doors, and we went down in the streets all this time. Together with our volunteers, we offered hot drinks, food, disinfectants, pharmaceuticals, sleeping bags and blankets, everything we could think of to make it easier for these people.



    But some of the Carusel Associations projects could not be continued during this period, including the Mobile Shower and the “Odessa Night Shelter. The Mobile Shower, a van that went around Bucharest to provide elementary hygiene services to homeless people, was shut down, on grounds that the steam forming within it helped spread the coronavirus. And the shelter was closed down because social distancing could not be guaranteed. Still, Carusel Association helped local authorities find a solution to accommodate homeless people at night-time, in rented rooms.



    Another problem was, obviously, the spread of the COVID 19 among the associations beneficiaries, a problem that Marian Ursan discussed in the following terms.



    Marian Ursan “But who cares about this category of people? Of course there are Covid-19 cases among them, we have our guesses but I think its just the tip of the iceberg. As for the authorities, do you know who asks questions about their lives—and who asks for their documents to fine these people? The police. This is the only public authority that is a constant presence in the lives of these people.



    And yet, in 2020 many NGOs tried to give a helping hand to those who needed it. One of them is Seneca Association, which has been delivering food and other basic necessities to elder people isolated at home, under a project called “Our Grandparents, which started in March when the state of emergency was declared. The number of beneficiaries has grown over time, and currently their volunteers cover 50 towns and villages across the country. In December alone, they delivered 600 parcels of food and hygiene products, as Anastasia Staicu told us:



    Anastasia Staicu “We first tried to help the elderly who were not allowed to leave their homes. But we found a lot of people who simply have nobody around, and people who, even if they were allowed to go out, could not afford the shopping. So we focused on places that were harder to reach, and we adopted these grandparents without families. Our volunteers have been helping them ever since March.



    But, as Anastasia Staicu told us, what these grandparents need is not always something material:



    Anastasia Staicu “Their emotional needs are the same as ours. Our biggest fear is perhaps the fear of being alone, and the pandemic deepened this fear. I dont believe there is anybody who has not suffered from the lack of human contact and warmth. So in 2021 we will bring something new to the project. The National Museum of Contemporary Art runs various workshops for children, and some of these children do not have grandparents and would love to adopt some. So these elderly people will find letters from children in their parcels as of next year, in addition to the food and hygiene products.



    Both Carusel Association and the “Our Grandparents project will continue to make life easier for the most vulnerable among us in 2021 as well. (tr. A. M. Popescu)

  • Social activism against poverty

    Social activism against poverty

    It is that time of the year when relaxation and joy must combine with generosity and care for the less privileged. This is particularly important in Romania, where there is a large number of poor people. According to statistics made public by the Social Monitor, a project of the Friedrich Ebert Romania Foundation, more than 1.5 million Romanians earn less than 3 Euros per day. These figures place us first among the Europeans found in vulnerable situations. The revenues of the 10% poorest Romanians are by 10% smaller than the revenues of the 10% poorest Europeans. In the countryside, there are entire communities marked by multiple vulnerabilities, according to the study “The wellbeing of children in the rural communities conducted by the World Vision Romania Foundation. Oana Serban, a communication director with World Vision Foundation, explains:



    Oana Serban “There are all sort of problems in the rural area. The school dropout rate there is high, because children do not have financial resources to go to school, they do not have moral support either, they do not have footwear or clothing. There are also other types of problems, such as the lack of opportunities for adults. These childrens parents cannot find a job in the rural area. Hence, they leave the country to find work abroad or are day workers here, for very little money. Given the fact that people in rural areas have many children, it is very difficult for them to provide for them.



    Consequently, one in every 11 children goes to bed hungry while 19% of the total number of children in Romania do not got to school. 74% of the children who give up school are from the rural area. For this reason, charitable organisations such as World Vision, initiate projects aimed at curbing this phenomenon which is also a consequence of poverty:



    Oana Serban “The project “Bread for tomorrow as well is a programme aimed at reducing the worrying school dropout rate. Under this programme, we offer them a hot meal at school and two hours of help with the homework. Over 1,250 children from the counties of Dolj, Valcea and Vaslui are included in the programme. At the beginning of 2019 we will also expand it to a community in the county of Cluj. We have been developing this programme for two years, because there are big problems with the nutrition of children in the rural area. Children dont eat or eat unhealthy food, usually in small amounts. The warm meal we offered was welcomed by both kids and teachers. Children are doing their best not to miss school and are getting better integrated. They are even happier in school.



    This program follows another one, that has run for the past 10 years. It targets high school students and is called “I want to be a 9th grader.



    Oana Serban “We practically offer scholarships to children coming from very poor families who want to go to school and learn. We provide them with help, which is not only material help. Part of the money goes to them, for them to manage it themselves, and the other part goes into different activities included in the project. Besides the support they receive for school supplies, accommodation and transport, there is another component that helps them become more independent. It is not easy for a child to move from the countryside to the city to be able to go to high school. We organize various activities for them to socialize and we also help them with their homework. It is a complex program and for each student there is an individual intervention plan. We take different actions for different students. In the 10 years in which the project has run, we have had 1,395 high school graduates. The percentage of our students who passed the Baccalaureate exam is 74% at national level. And 260 of them are higher education graduates. They are being supported by individual donors and also by means of partnerships with various companies.



    Since the winter season brings along specific problems that add to the childrens other problems, a season campaign has been recently launched, which targets footwear donation. In the poor rural communities, children dont have appropriate boots for winter:



    Oana Serban “It is a sad reality, but this is the truth. Quite frequently a single pair of boots is worn by all siblings in a home, when they need to go outside or when they to go to school. That is why we decided to so something about it. We are raising money to buy footwear for all the children in the communities where we run the project. I am talking about 14,500 children. How can we support them? Through donations made by a text message to 8849 with the text BOOTS, a message that costs 4 Euros. We intended the campaign to last until the end of January.



    For the life of these people to improve on long term, they need constant, system-provided support.


    (translated by: Lacramioara Simion, Elena Enache)