NEWS...........

ADDED EXTRA......

To watch and listen to a video of some of the children at Danes School, Transylvania, Romania singing a traditional Romanian children's song please click on the arrow in the centre of the picture below........( it may take a second or two to load ).

LATEST AID TRIP A SUCCESS........11.- 6 -.2010

OTF's lastest aid trip delivering much needed aid to the children and their famies in the rural areas  of Romania has been another resounding success.

A full report is presently being prepared and will be published on this web site later.

In the mean time we thought you would like to see some of the photographs from the latest trip:

 The wagon is unloaded with the help of the children from the school in Danes.

All the aid was carried into the sports hall where it was checked off against the manifest.

Although it was summer we still had the mud to contend with in the hill side community above Danes.

 REPORT from ROMANIA

Sunday 6th June 2340hrs Paulesti, Jud Prahova, Romania

The team were up bright and early on Saturday morning and set out into the village of Gageni to deliver the family boxes.

Our memories of some of the houses worked very well and many of the families were located quite quickly.

There is a sort of sytem to the house numbering - it starts on the right on one street then numbers one after the other, going down side streets and back up the other side to continue on the original street.

Some years ago all the houses were re-numbered but some of the families have not changed the number outside their house and so some confusion does appear from time to time.

Although the above is what the numbering should be it does not always work that way and as the village is split into two by a main road this also causes us some problems in locating individual houses.

Between the combined team memory and the help of our translators we were able to visit all but three of the families to deliver their boxes which were all eagerly welcomed.

We have again reviewed all the families and we are pleased that several have reached a point that they no longer need our support. Despite the economic problems in Romania, as everywhere else, some of the adults in the families have secured full time jobs which has enabled them to reach a level of independance which moves them out of OTF's ratings for continued help.

This is a very welcome sign in the village but, before we get too exited, we have added a few more families to our list as we have found on previous trips, there are always new families who need assistance.

At 5pm on Saturday evening Roy & Jim held a small reception in a local restaurant in Paulesti to recognise their 20 years of taking aid to Romania. ( It should be noted that this reception was paid for by Roy & Jim personally and not from OTF funds.)

The intention was to thank a small number of local people from the villages of Paulesti & Gageni who, over the last twenty years, have helped the many teams who have been to the area delivering aid for without there help, guidance and support no aid could have been delivered to the poor families, schools, surgery, hospital or dissabled association.

We were honoured by the attendance of the Mayor of Paulesti - Mr Ion Dragusin, John & Maria Mafti - long time friends and a wealth of local information, Catalin Decu - translator & friend, Ovidue Radulescu Head of Gageni School and his wife Raluca, Simona Maican -former head of the school in Gageni and her husband who is a physiotherapist at the Dissabled Association in Ploiesti, Andreea Sylvestru & Leah Dinu translators from Bucharest. and Romica Semplrelli from Slanic.

A digital slide show was on display giving information and pictures of the work that has been carried out in Romania over the last twenty years and was followed by a buffet and drinks.

Mayor Dragusin kindly made a speech in which he thanked Roy & Jim plus all the other volunteers who have travelled to Romania, and particularly to his district, bringing the much needed aid over the last twenty years. Mr Mayor has know of the work OTF has carried out as he has been Mayor, and Deputy Mayor previously, for many years. He gave  a warm thank you to everyone in the UK who has helped the OTF distribute the aid in the area and confirmed his committment to assist and work with the OTF in any future aid trips.

Roy & Jim thanked the Mayor and went on to thank all of those who were present at the reception and, those who were unable to attend, for all the support, help and assistance they had given both Roy & Jim over the last twenty years and in particular the friendship and hospitality they had all shown to them.

It was explained that without their help non of the aid trip would have been possible and that they were an important part of any humanitarian aid trip into Romania.

Today, Sunday, ahead of schedule, the team were able to deliver the remaining and final family aid boxes in Gageni.

One of our translators, Leah, has returned to Bucharest  and also Romica back to his home in Slanic.

The rest of the evening was taken up with paperwork for the Romanian authorities.

Early tomorrow Corrine has to return to the UK on the first flight out in time to return to her work in Calderdale later in the day.

Roy will travel into the centre of Bucharest to visit our Romanian Accountants and hand over all the documents required to be lodged with them in relation to the Drop in the Ocean Humanitarian Aid Trip 2010.

So we come to the end of the aid trip. As always it has been a tiring but fulfilling operation which could not have happened if it had not been for all the many helpers and supporters back home.

The success of the trip is all down to you - and on behalf of the many Romanian people, young and old, I thank you. What you have done has made a difference to their lives and I hope yours also.

I am very proud to be a member of the Oak Tree Foundation not just for what it achieves in Romania but for the support it receives from the many differing sources in the UK.

This is the last report from Romania as we will be home by Tuesday afternoon but, I look forward to speaking/seeing many of you on our return to give you an update on 'your' family and have the opportunity of showing the many new pictures.

Regards to all

Roy

Co-ordinator Oak Tree Foundation.

Friday 4th June 2240hrs Paulesti, Jud Prahova, Romania

The five hour journey yesterday from Sighisoara to Paulesti went very smoothly with no problems - although we were grateful that we were travelling towards Bucharest and not towards Brasov. On the mountain top the road was being resurfaced and a line of traffic several miles long was leading back down the winding mountain road in the opposite direction. Had the delay had been last saturdayon when we travelled to Sighisoara last Saturday that journey would have taken at least two or three hours more.

We went directly to the Dissabled Association in Ploiesti arriving at arround 1530hrs and delivered the educational supplies and wheelchair. The group now cares for over 270 children with a varying degrees of problems. During our chat they intimated that the large 'colouring in' books were extremely popular and useful with their children as it helped with their manilpulative and dexterity skills. This will probably be one of our major projects in the coming months.

Corinne, one of our OTF voluteers arrived with Andreea, one of our young translators from Bucharest. Corinne had flown out to join us with the second stage of our aid trip and Andreea had collected her from the airport and together thay had taken a train to Ploiesti.

The team then set off for Paulesti wondering if there would be accomodation this time at the 'pension' in the village. ( last time there had been a mix up with the bookings and we were turned away at 2300hrs that night). Fortunately our booking was good and we were welcomed by the owner as we entered.

After showering the sweat of the days drive away we went for a meal then called on our long time friends in the village, John & Maria. I met this couple in November 1990 and have remained very good friend since. They were shocked to see us but pleased that we had visited even at such a late hour.

After a good nights sleep last night we were off to the school in Gageni this morning to deliver all the educational supplies, desks & chairs and sports equipment. Romica, an out of work teacher and friend, joined us to help deliver the Family Boxes. Even as an experienced teacher he has been unable to find a teaching post within travelling distance of his home in the village of Slanic. The State workers last Monday had been on strike as the Romanian Goverment had decided to cut all the state workers salerlies by 25%. As a teacher earns less than 300 RON a month, about £66, they would lose a lot of their income plus 50% of their pensions.

There is a new head at the school but we knew each other, Ovidiu was one of the teachers at when we last visited.

The desks and chairs were a particular needed as the ones being used by the students were old and coming apart. Many had splits in the wooden frame which damaged the childrens clothes when used.

The OTF team then distributed the Goodie Bags to all the children in the school. As with the last trip the favourites out of the bags were the soft toys received by the girls and the Yo Yo's and Frisbees received by the boys.

In the afternoon we started to deliver the Family Boxes to the designated families Although it was pleasing to see so many familier faces and deliver the boxes, I cannot remember a previous trip when were heard of so many personal tragedies such as fires, deaths of children and the murder of the 24 years son of one family in a domestic situation.

The weather had been extremely hot all day and so eight dirty, tired souls made their way back to the pension for a shower and a good meal.

Tomorow we continue to deliver the family boxes and then at 1700hrs Jim and I are hollding a small buffet with invited guests such at the Mayor of Paulesti, the head of the school at Gageni, the local doctor, Sanda, and other people who have given us so much support, help and advice over the last twenty years.

As always the OTF team have worked very well together and have achieved all the tasks set them to date. I expect and intend for this to continue and we are on our way back home on Tuesday.

I will report again in a couple of days time.

Regards

Roy

Wednesday 2nd June 0845hrs Sighisoara, Transylvania, Romania

I am pleased to report that we arrived in Romania last Saturday afternoon without any problems and the drive to Sighisoara also went without any problems.

At 9am the following morning Sunday 30th May we arrived in Danes to find our wagon full of aid waiting to be unloaded.

The head teacher from the school, Maria, and about 50 of the older ( and not so older ) children were also ready and waiting keenly to help unload almost 7 tons of aid into the sports hall at the school.

With great speed and enthusiasm the boxes , furniture, boxes and other aid were duly unloaded in just over 1 hour. Where these children get their speed and agility from I cannot say but the rest of the OTF team were exhausted by the end.

All the aid we loaded in Manchester a few days previously was checked off against our manifest as the aid was unloaded and everything was in order - no damaged or split boxes thanks to you who packed them doing such a great job.

The first job was to sort through the family boxes for both villages putting them in some sort of delivery order and then sorting through all the other aid.

The hall was set up for us to fill the Goodie Bags for the children and the gifts sorted through and packed.

A meeting with the head teacher found that some of the children from the poorest families were not attending school and a plan of action was devised. Maria would visit the families in Danes with us and we would use the aid as a 'carrot' to encourage the parents to send their children to school regularly.

So next morning the vans were loaded with aid and as we set off it started raining. Not a problem on the main roads but we had to drive uop the hillside to get to some of the families.

Sliding and slipping up hill we got as close as we could to the commune above the main village consisting of mainly the Gabor families. By the time we had spent a couple of hours on the hill side in all the mud it was beginning to be difficult to distinguish the local villages from us as we were all covered in the thick sticky mud.

As the rain got heavier we decided to get the vehicles off the hillside before we became stuck.

The rest of the day we continued to deliver the family boxes in the lower part of the village and then back to the sports hall to start filling the Goodie Bags for the children at the school.

Yesterday it was more of the same with a little more rain we ventured up onto the hillside again to complete the delivery of boxes in that area and then back into the main area of the village.

Today, Wednesday, we have been invited to meet the Mayor of Danes. This is an opportunity for us to request further help for the poor families in the village and for more help for the school. The rest of the day will be delivering the remaining family boxes, aid for the local charities Veritas and the House of Light - a day school for children with learning difficulties.

We leave for the Prahova region tomorrow, a journey across two mountain ranges lasting about 6 hours.

All the hard work that the OTF have put into this aid trip, along with the help of all the supporters in Kirklees, Calderdale, Stockport and beyond, has all been worth while.

I will try and email another report from Romania later in the week.

For now, from Romania, La Revedera

Roy

SAINSBURY'S SHOREHEAD, HUDDERSFIELD GIVE THEIR SUPPORT

When OTF member Kath approached her bosses at Sainsburys requesting assistance in the Smile for Easter campaign they were only too eager to help.

The store have donated 300 tubes of toothpaste and 300 tooth brushes to the charity enough to give every child in the two schools in Danes & Gageni a brush and a tube of toothpaste.

OTF has received many donation as a result of this campaign and the surplace brushes and paste wll be given to the schools who are assisting in promoting the dental health of their pupils and will give out the rest of the goods throughout the year.

Photograph & Report in the Huddersfield Examiner Newspaper - 25.05.2010

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2010/05/25/huddersfield-charity-s-mercy-mission-for-romanian-children-86081-26512730/

THE OTF DROP IN THE OCEAN HUMANITARIN AID 2010 WAGON SETS OFF FOR ROMANIA ......

Tuesday 25th May 2010

At 12 midday today our aid wagon set off to make its 6 day overland journey to the village of Danes in Transylvania.

A team of eleven volunteers spend a gruelling 3.5 hours loading all the family boxes, educational supplies, furniture and sports equipment into the Romanian artic supplied by our shipping logistics company, Mission & Relief of Holland through their UK agent in Kent.

Most of the loading team had done all this before and so they worked as a well oiled machine. Thankfully the weather stayed dry and not too warm.

Many thanks to Kath, Jim, John, Pete & Margaret, Fred, Walter, Graham, Bob, Corinne and of course to the wagon driver - Peter.

It was with some relief that we saw the back doors of the wagon close d and the wagon set off as this years planning had hit all manner of problems to overcome to reach this stage.

Firstly we have had to make some very difficult provisional arrangements in case the flights for the team going to Romania were cancelled or delayed due to the volcanish ash problem.

Then we had the unfortunate news that Simon Dillon, one of our most experienced aid workers, had badly strained a muscle in his back leaving him unable to walk and unable to come out with us on this years aid trip.

We are so sorry to lose Simon as he is always such a valuable member of the team while we are in Romania and at home. Simon puts in a huge amount of time making collections in the Manchester area and acting as warehouse man looking after our storage in Manchester.

The rest of the team wish him a speedy recovery.

Finishing the packing at the OTF storage in West Vale just a couple of days before we have to load the wagon

Boxes of clothes, educational supplies and sports equipement are just some of the aid goods being prepared. Every box has to be numbered, weighed, measured and entered onto a manifest sheet.

This is the wagon that is to transport all of our aid across Europe to Romania

Starting to load the family boxes from OTF's Adopt a Family Project

Almost finished - we take great care with the aid we transport to Romania to ensure that it arrives safely and in one piece

The May 2010 OTF loading team

back row - left: Peter - the driver, John, Fred, Pete, Jim

front row - left: Graham, Walter, Margaret, Bob, Corinne & Kath 

DROP IN THE OCEAN HUMANITARIAN AID TRIP 2010

all set for the off...well nearly !

The dates have been set, transport and flights booked, so our aid trip for this year is well on the way to setting off.

The artic is to be loaded on Tuesday 25th May and will immediately set off to make the trans europe road trip to Danes, Transylvania, Romania.

A team of six volunteers will fly out to Bucharest on Saturday 29th May where they will pick up three vans to make the 5 hour drive accross two mountain ranges to Sighisoara.

At 9am prompt the following morning we will meet up with the artic and,with the help of the older pupils from the school in the village of Danes, the contents of the wagon will be unloaded ready for distribution in the area.

The next few days will see the OTF team, with the help of Nicu & Cristina - local students, deliver dozens of Family Boxes to the designated poor families in the area. These are the boxes filled by the many groups and families in the UK who joined OTF's Adopt a Family Scheme.

On the 1st June there is a village event going on in Danes and the OTF team are prvililedged to have been invited to attend.

On the Thursday that week, 3rd June, the team will set off in the vans back to the village of Gageni near to Ploiesti, to deliver the remaining famly boxes and other aid. Here they will be assisted by two students, Leah and Andreea, both of whom have given their help to OTF in previous years.

The team are due to fly back to the UK on Tuesday 8th June.

This aid trip is a special on for OTF members Roy & Jim as it will be exactly 20 years since they made the first of their many trips taking aid into Romania.

As with the last trip we will try and make daily reports on this web site direct from Romania so that the many supporters and helpers back in the UK can keep up to date with how the aid trip is going and check when 'their family' has received their Family Box.

LAUNCH OF 'A SMILE FOR EASTER' TOOTHPASTE & TOOTHBRUSH APPEAL

Sunday 24th January 2010

Today see the launch of ' A SMILE FOR EASTER' TOOTHPASTE/TOOTHBRUSH APPEAL.

For a number of years we have been working closely with two rural schools in trying to improve the condition of the teeth of the children from the two villages of Danes & Gageni.

We have seen that most of the children have severe decay leading to loss of teeth and acute toothache. As the children grow older other oral problems occure with rotting teeth, gum disease and abscesses. The picture in the poster is typical of the sort of problems the children experience.

There is no free dental treatment for these children and most families cannot afford to buy toothpaste.

On our aid trips we distribute toothpaste and brushes through the schools and hope to do so on our 'Drop in the Ocean' Humanitarian Aid Trip in May this year.

Our appeal is for the donation of toothpaste and brushes so we can continue with this project in Romania.

If you would like to help by donating or by organising a collection of our behalf please contact us through the contact page on this web site.

Together we can put a SMILE back on the face of a child.....

THOUGHTS THIS CHRISTMAS - TWENTY YEARS ON AFTER THE ROMANIAN REVOLUTION AND THE FALL OF CEAUSESCU........

As Christmas approaches fast my thoughts go back to this week 20 years ago when the ordinary people of Romania rose up against its president and government heralding an end to the tyranical regime that had been imposed on its people for over 25 years.

I am sure that non of us who were, back then, moved by the infamous pictures of the country's orphanages imagine that two decades later that there would still a need for NGO's like ours to still be providing the very basics of life to Romania's poorest.

Non of us could have imagined that after twenty years Romania's present leaders could be still so corrupt and failing its own people so badly, lying to the rest of Europe about the true fate of its most vunerable citzens - the poor, the young, the old, the sick and the infirm.

Despite millions of Euros being pumped into Romania the failings of the last twenty years are still evident if you know where to look and are not hood winked by the official line.

Many officials in Romania are past masters at deciet. They produce films and photographs of new or renovated buildings, shiny new equipment, computers, toys etc to show how they have improved things in the orphanages and mental institutions. But many many times this is just a cover for its still appalling treatment of its vunerable behind the hidden and closed doors.

Of course they had many problems to overcome but come on - it's been twenty years.........

Time after time it is only the secret filming of western journalists that tell the true story about Romania and our innefectual EU MP's should shoulder some of the responsiblity for this sick state of affairs by being so gullable in accepting what they were told by the Romanian officialdom when they sought to join the EU.

Twelve months ago there was the report by the Duches of York when she secetretly filmed inside some childrens homes.

The most recent report is by the BBC showing the all too familiar conditions in a mental institution. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8425001.stm. 

Although the pictures are only a week old they could have been twenty years old - nothing has honestly changed.

It is this forgotten part of the Romanian people that the Oak Tree Foundation has been striving to help for all these years.

It is a long, hard, up hill battle for our small group of volunteers to, year after year, find the strength and personal fortitude to keep going.

We know what it is really like for the poor families and other organisations we help and we know that whatever we can do it is just a Drop in the Ocean but it DOES make a difference.

Our next humanitarian aid trip is now just over 20 weeks away.

As we all sit down for Christmas lunch in four days time I hope that you will spare a moment of thought for all those not as lucky as we are, wherever in the world they may be.

Please take some time also to look at the BBC link above.

Craciun Fericit / Merry Christmas to you all and I hope that 2010 will bring you peace and health over the coming years.

Regards

Roy Bowden

Coordinator

OAK TREE FOUNDATION - Helping Romanian Children

21st December 2009

Runs Miles - Donates Pounds  x 3 ..........

Three members of Gledholt Church, Huddersfield took part in the Sandall Beat Trail 10k Race, Doncaster back in June to raise money for charity.

Rob Davies, Roger Lawton and Jo Pickering split the sponsorship they received between a couple of charities with the Oak Tree Foundation receiving a donation from their efforts of £335.00.

OTF thanks Rob, Roger & Jo not only for putting in the hours of training but for their generosity in their kind donation.

The money will be used to provide transport for the OTF Drop in the Ocean 2010 Humanitarian Aid Trip planned for May next year.

Nov 2009

OAK TREE FOUNDATION helps children in Kenya.....

Here at the OTF we have always been very keen on inter agency assistance and when, during a chance conversation with someone involved in another NGO, we found that we could help.

Rowley Projects serves a community in Western Kenya, working in partnership with the local people to transform their everyday lives by providing Clean Water, Health Care and Education.

OTF donated some bags, T shirts and mugs for the Rowley Projects October 2008 Trip to Kenya.

Below the photo shows some of the children with the donated bags.

Further information about the Rowley Projects can be found at:

http://www.rowleyprojects.com

WHILE YOUR HERE WHY NOT CLICK ON

 THE   EVENTS   PAGE

 TO SEE THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT FORTHCOMING

TALKS, CONCERTS AND OTHER

OTF EVENTS

DONATION OF WORK DESKS

Advanced Electronics Limited ( www.advel.co.uk ) of Claycliffe Office Park, Barnsley have kindly donated six office work desks to be transported to a rural school in Romania.

Technical Director, Alan Beech, also gave a generous cash donation to help fund the transport of the desks and other aid on OTF's next humanitarian aid trip planned for May 2010.

Gary Stevenson & Phil Swatridge from Advanced Electronics Ltd with one of the donated work desks

 12.08.09

BROCHURE FROM THE CASTLE CARR FUND RAISING EVENT JULY 2009

Due to the massive attendence at the recent Castle Carr open day we ran out of the free brochures. As promised we have below the brochure from the event  pubished on the web site by kind permission of David Cant.

Front Cover

Page 1

Page 2

Page  4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

TIMETABLE FOR VISIT

Back Cover

PLANS SET IN MOTION FOR

'DROP IN THE OCEAN HUMANITARIAN AID TRIP 2010'   

At the latest OTF meeting plans were set in motion for the groups next aid trip to Romania.

Due to the increase in transport costs the trip last November 2008 drained nearly all the groups finances so an aid trip in 2009 is not feasably possible.

It was also felt that running an aid trip to Romania at the back end of the year ( as last time November 2008 ) was providing more problems in the distribution of the aid in the rural areas than the team needed to deal with. As weather is always unpredictable with freezing temperatures, mud and short daylight hours it was agreed that OTF would in the future plan to run any aid trip in the month of May.

For the next OTF aid trip, May 2010 is a particularly poignant time as it will celebrate ( if that is the right word ) 20 years of Romanian aid work by OTF team members Roy Bowden & Jim Cheetham. They were members of one of the biggest UK convoy's taking aid to Romania in May 1990. This was just months after the revolution when the country's president/dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's thirty four year rule was brought to an end. A military tribunal tried both Ceausescu and his wife Elena for 'crimes against the people', they were sentenced to death and executed on Christmas Day 1989. 

Neither Roy or Jim ever thought that nearly twenty years on there would still be a need to be taking humanitarian aid to poor, sick and needy children and their families in Romania.

The success of the 'Adopt a Family' scheme first implimented on the Nov '08 aid trip, where outside groups and indiviuals sourced and packed essential basic clothing and other items for particular families, has meant that any future aid trip had the backing of dozens of extremely keen and enthusiastic supporters.

Most of the outside groups who took part in the scheme last year have already expressed their wish to be involved again and there has been a number of enquiries from new groups and individuals who want to be involved in this important part of OTF's work.

The trip in November 2008 again revealed even more families in desperate need of help and so there is always room for more UK groups to get involved in the Adopt a Family scheme.

The Special Page for the scheme on the web site under the NEWS page will soon be updated with lots of useful advice for old and new groups along with a list of clothing and other useful items held at the OTF warehouse that can be called on.

Anyone wishing to join the scheme or requires further information about it are asked to email the OTF using the CONTACT PAGE or telephone on 07710 042 088 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              07710 042 088      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

 3rd May 2009

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Faye to run in the

'Run for All 10k Road Race'

Sunday 21st June 2009

 

Fay Greenwood, OTF's treasurer, and her work colleague Michael Fletcher from the head office of Bon Marche in Huddersfield, are to run in this years 'Jane Thomlinson's Run for All 10K Road Race' at Leeds in June.

 

Faye and Michael are busy training for this event and hope to raise lots of money  for the Oak Tree Foundation by way of personal sponsorship.

 

Faye has stated that she is hoping to complete the course in under 1 hr 15minutes but it will depend on the weather.

 

Good Luck to the pair of them.

 

If you would like to sponsor Faye and/or Michael please go to the 

CONTACT US & DONATIONS page on this web site.

 

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Article from the Maia Singers Newsletter March 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

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Short Article from 'Vision' the staff magazine of Bon Marche Autumn/Winter 2008

reproduce by kind permission 

 

 

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23rd November 2008

 

A small number of photographs from the Drop in the Ocean Humanitarian Aid Trip November 2008 can be found on the Gallery pages. ( click on Gallery on the menue on the left to access this page)

 

Further photographs will be added over the following weeks, along with a summary report, and will give a view of the life, the dirt, the squalor and the sheer helplessness of the poor families in these rural villages of Romania in the run up to Christmas 2008.

 

Sample photograph:

 

 

Young Romanian boy in the village of Danes, Transylvania. His trousers are wet as he had been playing in the river that runs between the group of 'houses' on the hillside above the village. Nov 2008.

 

 

17th November 2008 final message from Romania

 

This is the last message from Romania before we fly back to the UK tomorrow.

 

After loading all the remaining aid that was to be delivered to the Prahova area into the four vehicles on the morning of the 14th the road journey back over two mountains ranges from Sighisoara to Ploiesti went without any problems and we arrived in the city of Ploiesti in the late afternoon.

 

We made directly to the offices of the disabled association in the city centre and after going round the block several times we eventually managed to park the one van containing the aid for the association close by to unload.

 

A speach therapy class in operation with a number of the children and we stayed for a short while to observe what was going on. The children were being read to from a book and then the teacher had them repeating various words and sounds described in the story.

 

We then set off for Paulesti where we understood rooms had been booked at the only pension (hotel) in the area. However when we arrived, in the dark, we learned that there had been a mix up over dates and there was no room.

 

After several phone calls we were able to accomodate everyone in the team with a bed for a night and we all retired to await a busy schedule of deliveries the following day.

 

Friday saw us bright and early at the school in Gageni where all the educational supplies and sports equipment was unloaded. We then had a delightfull hour giving out the goodie bags to each of the children in their respective class rooms.

 

The big hits from the goodie bags were the T shirts, again, the Yo Yo's and skipping ropes.

 

Just before midday we began to distibute the Family Aid Boxes to the recipients arround the village.

 

Several years ago the houses in the whole of the village were re-numbered but many of the houses had not changed the sign on the gates with the new numbers which made life just a little difficult. In some of the areas the house numbers were not consecutive and finding some of the houses proved a little difficult.

 

One address was 'the house in the middle of the field'. We had been to this house before but 12 months ago but finding it again took time.

 

By the end of the day, as the light faded and the temperature dropped, we had delivered the boxes to several of the families. The next problem to resolve was find somewhere for us all to sleep that night.

 

Luck was on our side and we found a hotel close by that had accomodation for us.

 

Over the next couple of days we continued to deliver the Family Aid Boxes and obtaining new Family Information Sheets and photographs for next years project.

 

Work started at first light and went on until the light disapeared around 5pm. Until today, when it started raining, the weather had been good allowing us to complete more of the work each day.

 

By 4pm today, Monday, we had delivered all the aid to the Prahova area and had added several more poor families to our ever growing list.

 

Tomorrow morning with sad hearts in leaving our many friends and helpers we will head back to the airport at Otopeni for the flight home to the UK.

 

All the team are tired but they have all seen for themselves that together - and with your help - we are making a difference.

 

Roy Bowden reporting from the city of Ploiesti, Jud Prahova Romania - 2300hrs Monday 17th November 2008.

 

 

 

 One of the many poor children on the hillside above the village of Danes Transyvania.

 

Check later in the week for further photographs of the families you have been helping....................

 

 

 

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12th November 2008 message from Romania

 

This is just a short message written at an internet cafe in the citadel city of Sighisoara on the last evening in Transyvania before moving off to the Ploiesti area for our final part of our aid trip.

 

Our flight from Manchester to Bucharesti last Saturday went without any problems and we were on time to pick up the four rental vehicles to make the overland journey to Sighisoara. Having left the airport at 1530hrs we eventually arrived in the city at 2030hrs, in the cold and dark but grateful that we had all arrived safely.

 

The team was up early next morning and we drove to the school hall in the village of Danes. The wagon arrived intact as did some twenty or so pupils and teachers to help unload the wagon.

 

The children were very enthusiastic and we made terrific time with all 7 tons unloaded and placed into set piles on the floor of the hall in just over 1 hour.

 

We spend the next few hours sorting through the many boxes and items of aid sepreating the aid for the Danes area and that for the Gageni area.

 

It had been a very long day the day before and by late afternoon we were all desperately tired so we called it a day, returned to the hotel for a shower and then out for the first proper meal of the day.

 

That night it turned very cold, -6, but Monday morning found a very cold but bright and cheerful day with all the team in good spirits.

 

Some of the goods for the school were carried to the main school building and then we loaded the aid boxes for the families on the hill behind the village centre.

 

The ground was dry and hard, far better than last November when we had knee deep mud, and so we were able to get one of the vans and the 4x4 right up to the families homes at the group of houses on the hillside above the main village.

 

In the sun it was warm although there was still some ice about, There seemed to be dozens of kids of all ages playing in the dirt,and refuse with some having fun running down the river embankment and jumping accross - some missing or playing with the many dogs, chickens, ducks and pigs that were running about.

 

We were able to deliver all the Family Aid boxes to the various familes who greeted us with warm smiles and recognition that we had fulfilled our promise of last November that we would bring them some help.

 

We have some wonderful photographsand stories to share with you later and some that will shock you.

 

The last few days have seen all the families on our list having their Family Aid Boxes delivered, the school has received the sports equipment, furniture and educational supplies. The local kindergarten has received furniture and toys and some of the specialised disabled equipment has been delivered to units in Sighisoara, Albesti and to the local Veritas charity.

 

The director and the authorities in the special unit in Sighisoara were in near panic mode due to the programme on TV last week when the Duches of York did some secret filming in the orphanges in Bucharesti. So much so that were have no pictures at all from this govenment run unit.

 

By 1800hrs tonight, Wednesday everything for this area has been delivered and tomorrow, bright and early we set off to the city of Ploiesti to start the next round of deliveries. This will be a drive of 5-6 hours over two mountain ranges with the possibility of snow en route.

 

I will try and report again on how we are going on if I can get internet access.

 

I know that many people back in the UK are wishing us well on this venture and I can tell you that the team appreciate all the support we have been given.

 

Roy Bowden - Co-ordinator Oak Tree Foundation reporting from the citadel city of Sighisoara, Transylvania, Romania - 1830hrs Wednesday 12th November 2008.

 

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4th November 2008

 

Drop in the Ocean Humanitarian Aid Trip 2008

 

Wagon Loaded and On its Way.

 

At 9am this morning our 16 strong loading team, aided by Dorel the Romanian driver, started the ardous and back breaking job of loading the artic will all the aid for this years trip.

 

Everything from the 'Adopt a Family' Clothing Boxes, Educational Supplies, School Furniture, Specialist Disabled Equipment to Musical Instruments and Sports Equipment were carefully packed to make the 2000 mile journey across Europe to Romania.

 

 

The inside of the artic with all the Adopt a Family Clothing Boxes Loaded

 

 Over 7 tons of goods were loaded by hand into the Romanian wagon supplied by Mission & Relief Transport of Holland an international company specialising in the worlwide transportation of aid. 

 

Dorel explained that he was so happy to be a driver for Mission & Relief Transport as it enabled him to help organisations like OTF who are helping the poor sick and needy children and their families in his country. He explained that he felt that he was lucky to have a job and was aware of the terrible hardship and living conditions of some of his fellow villagers were experiencing with no money, food or work.

 

 

Some of the aid goods waiting to be loaded

 

By 12.45pm we had had three strokes of luck; 1. the last items were loaded onto the artic and the back doors closed 2. the artic trailer was just big enough to accomodate all the aid & 3. the weather had been kind to us.

 

With all the paperwork completed Doril and his artic set off for Dover to begin the journey across Europe to meet up with the OTF team next Sunday morning, 9th Nov, in the village of Danes, Transylvania.

 

 

The Loading Team - November 2008

Back Row:  Maggie, Jackie, Jim, Mike, Pat, Kath, Walter, Tim, Simon, Bob, Peter, David, Graham, Fred.

Kneeling at front: Roy & Margaret

 

OTF would like to thank the loading team especially, Maggie, Jackie, Mike, Tim, Bob, David, Walter, Fred & Graham ( all members of the Maia Singers in Stockport ) for giving up their time to help load the wagon.........

 

.............together we are making a difference.

 

 

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1st November 2008

 

Less than a week........

 

As I sit to write this report it is 9pm Saturday 1st November....... at this time next Saturday. 8th November, I hope that our aid team will have made the flights from Manchester to Bucharest, picked up the four hire vehicles and driven the 5-6 hours to Sighisoara.

 

It will be a long day as we fly at 6am and will not arrive in Sighisoara until about 8pm that night.

 

We have received confirmation from the transport company that all our paperwork is in order and that we will have the artic to load at 9am Tuesday 4th November over in Manchester.

 

All the arrangements with our contacts in Romania have been made by email so all the team can do now is just count the days down until we set off.

 

All the team, Kath, Simon, Jim, Pat, Faye, Pete & Margaret and myself, Roy, together with our Romanian friends and translators Nicu, Andreea and Liah are aware of the great responsibility and expectations we carry with us on your behalf to those we come into contact with in Romania, the families and organsisations we deliver aid to and also to all the individuals and groups in the UK who have worked so hard over the last few months collecting and packing the Family Boxes in OTF's Adopt a Family Project.

 

Every one of our team, including our Romanian friends and helpers, will ensure that everything that we have loaded onto the wagon in Manchester will be delivered directly by us, to those families and organisations in the villages and towns of Danes, Sighisoara, Gageni, Bacoi & Ploiesti, that it was destined for.

 

Please keep your fingers crossed that our Jim gets back in time to travel to Romania with us. Jim has been away for the last three weeks helping to build a school in a small village in the mountains of Nepal.

 

Please keep checking this page of our Web Site for further updates.

 

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24th OCTOBER 2008

 

Transport Manifest Completed

 

Last night the full transport manifest for all the humanitarian aid which will be transported across to Romania and distributed by our own UK team during our Drop in the Ocean Humanitarian Aid Trip 2008 has been completed.

 

Statistics: Almost 7 tons ( 6936kgs ), 192 cubic meters, £220,000 value.

 

Numbers don't really give the full picture so put in simple terms this is a full articulated wagon made up of  clothes, educational supplies, school furniture, toys, specialised disabled equipment, toothpaste/brushes and musical instruments to mention just the main items.

 

Everything on the wagon has been donated by companies or generous individuals and groups in the UK.

 

The hard part of the job is in the UK and is almost over with the collecting, packing and manifesting.

( There is still the loading of the wagon on the 4th November to come.)

 

The rewarding part of the job in Romania is still to come in the distribution of aid that YOU have provided to those in most need.

 

 

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20th OCTOBER 2008

 

Huddersfield Examiner Newspaper Article:

 

www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2008/10/15/convoy-s-mission-to-romanian-villages-86081-22035691/

The photographs and talk by Roy Bowden gave an insite to the  Cub Scouts into the appalling living conditions of some of the poorest families in the villages of Gageni & Danes with the emphasies on the poor diet, malnutrician, tooth decay and other illnesses.

The Scouts had made a collection of tooth paste and toothbrushes which were donated to Oak Tree to give out to the children of the two villages.

A special thanks goes to all the Cub Scouts who took part as well as their parents and the pack leaders.

17th Huddersfield (Linthwaite) Cub Scout Pack along with their donations of toothpaste and brushes.                                                                                                                               17.10.08

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17th October 2008

 

DONATION OF TOOTH PASTE & TOOTHBRUSHES

 

Oak Tree have today received a donation of tooth paste & tooth brushes collected by the pupils, staff and parents of Wilberlee J & I School, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield.

 

OTF co-ordinator, Roy, gave a talk and slide show at the school a couple of weeks ago and made an appeal for help after telling the children at Wilberlee about the poor conditions some of the children in the two villages of Gageni & Danes in Romania were living in. Pictures were were shown illustrating the effects of a poor diet and not being able to afford to buy a tooth brush or tooth paste.

 

The children were very enthusiastic to try and help their Romanian counter parts by collecting tooth paste and brushes to be taken out to the two villages during the Drop in the Ocean Humanitarian Aid trip in November.

 

OTF thanks everyone at Wilberlee for their valuable help.

 

 

Some of the children at Wilberlee J & I School handing over their collection of tooth paste and brushes to OTF co-ordinator Roy Bowden.                                                                                                            17.10.08

 

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12th October 2008

 

LAST MINUTE APPEAL

 

Oak Tree have received a urgent request from the two schools we help in Danes and Gageni for A4 size copy paper, white, tinted and coloured.

 

Although this is at the last minute Oak Tree appeals to any companies or individuals who can assist by donating some reems of paper.

 

We would need to have them by the 20th October as this is the date when the transport manifest has to be completed.

 

Anyone who can help please contact Oak Tree on 07710 042 088 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              07710 042 088 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              07710 042 088      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              07710 042 088      end_of_the_skype_highlighting      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, by email info@theoaktreefoundation.org or the contact page on this web site. 

 

 

 

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2nd October 2008

 

ALMOST READY

 

All the travel and transport arrangements have now been sorted and confirmed and as the hours and days tick by the OAK TREE TEAM are busy completing all the packing and manifesting of all the goods that are being transported overland to Romania.

 

Hours and hours have been spent on making sure that even the last tooth brush or pen or special disabled chair has been checked, weighed and measured, has a number and appears on the transportation manifest sheet.

 

The FAMILY BOXES have been crossed checked against the master list and everyone has its own unique number so we can ensure the correct box gets to the correct family.

 

Even at this late stage negotiations have taken place to secure a number of school desks and chairs so badly needed at the school in Danes. There are going to be quite a few late nights and extra work involved if we are to get this extra school equipment ready for this years transport.

 

All of the eight UK team members on the November Aid Trip have now had their injections - we ensure that everyone who travels with us to Romania have the correct jabs for their personal safety. There are one or two of the team who have a couple of sore arms having had injections are for Tetanus, TB, Hep A & B, Polio, Dyptheria & Thyphoid.

 

The team wil fly to Romania by KLM ,via Amsterdam, and will pick up three rental vehicles at the airport in Bucharesti. Two vans and a 4x4 will be used as some of the roads in the villages are not suitable for larger vehicles.

 

In Transylvania we will have the services of Nicu, a student from Sighisoara, our Romanian friend who will work very hard on the translations. In the Prahova area we will have Andreea and Leah, two Romanian students from Bucharesti, who will give us their valuable time again in the translation department.

 

It was May 2007 when we first met these three young people who worked so hard last time to ensure our aid trip was a success. This sort of humanitarian aid work was something new to them and it certainly opened their eyes as to how their some of their country folk live in the poor rural villages.

 

They must be congratulated for their willingness to assist us again - they can clearly see that the work we do in Romania does make a difference.

 

 

 

Even if it's your birthday the packing and sorting goes on. The team take a welcome tea break and the candles are lit on the cake for birthday girl Kath -  a quick cup of tea and a slice of cake then it was back to work....

 

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10th September 2008

 

Dates Set for Drop in the Ocean Humanitarian Aid Trip 2008

 

The dates for this years aid trip have now been set and work is still frantic to ensure that everything is ready for the big days:

 

Tuesday 4th November 2008    

 

Load the articulated wagon with all the aid that is going this year. This is a mamoth job as everything has to be loaded onto the wagon by hand and there is at least as much as last year. We know from experience that it will take ten helpers about 4 hours to load everything onto the wagon.

 

The wagon will set off straight away to make the overland trip from the UK to Romania.

 

Saturday 8th November 2008     

 

The team of aid volunteer aid workers will fly from Manchester on the 6am flight to Otopini Airport, Bucharest, Romania. The international airport in Bucharest has recently been re-named the Henry Coanda Airport after a famous Romanian aviator.

 

Arriving at Bucharest at 1.35pm the team will then take collection of two Renault Traffic master Vans and a 4 wheel drive vehicle to make the 6 hour drive to Sighisoara. Travelling north along the E60 along the massive flat plains of Jud (county) Prahova through Ploiesti over the Transylvanian Alps through Sinaia down to Brasov. Continuing along the E60 and over sourthern edge of the Carpathian mountain range through Rupea and on into Transylvania in Jud Mures to ancient walled Saxon Citadel city of Sighisoara.

 

What time the team will arrive there we have no idea as this will depend on traffic and the weather.

 

Sunday 9th November 2008

                                             

We expect the wagon to arrive from the UK at the village of Danes, six miles west of the city, ready to be unloaded at 9am. Arrangements have been made for all the aid to unloaded into the village school hall to be sorted into the aid for the local area in Danes and that to be transported back to Jud Prahova for delivery in Ploiesti & Gageni.

 

The unloading will be hard work as some of the items weight in excess of 70k. Our Romanian translator Nicu has promised extra hands - some of his friends - to help with the unloading.

 

We understand that this particular Sunday will be Poppy Day and, as there is a War Memorial in the centre of of the village of Danes close to the school, it is intended to visit the the memorial at 11am. We are not sure if any parade will take place locally.

 

Monday 10th - Wednesday 12th November 2008

 

The Family Boxes will be delivered to the respective families in Danes and new, up to date, Family Information Forms and photographs will be obtained.  The aid for the school in Danes and the music school in Sighisoara will also be delivered.  

 

We are hoping that the weather will be kind to us this November as last year, at this same time, it was below freezing and snowing.

 

Thursday 13th November 2008

 

The aid for Ploiesti and Gageni will be loaded into the vans and the team will set off again to follow its tracks along the route back towards Ploiesti. It is hoped that all the aid for the disabled association in Ploiesti will be delivered later that day or during the evening. We will be met in Ploiesti by our two translators Andreea & Lia.

 

Friday 14th - Monday 17th November 2008

 

The Family Boxes will be delivered to the respective families in Gageni and new, up to date, Family Information Forms and photographs will be obtained here also. The aid for the school in Gageni will  be delivered.

 

Tuesday 18th November 2008

 

The team will travel back to Otopini Airport in Bucharest where they will leave the two  hired vans and 4 wheel drive vehicle to be ready for the flight back to Manchester arriving back in the UK at 8.20pm.

 

Due to the nature of the work we carry out in Romania and the many problems, despite the good planning, we can experience the above may be altered. A word that has ALWAYS been employed when we are on a humanitarian aid trip in Romania is 'FLEXIBLE'.

 

What will happen is that ALL the aid we take to Romania will be delivered by us personally to those to whome it was intended, regardless of what problems or obsticles we encounter.

 

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24th August 2008

 

Due to unforseen logistical problems the proposed humanitarian aid trip to Romania planned for September 2008 has had to be put back by eight weeks to November 2008.

 

This is a dissapointment but the extra weeks in preparation will ensure that we have sufficient experienced aid workers to help unload and deliver the boxes of aid to the families and other groups while we are there.

 

The large number of families we are helping this year, with the inception of the Adopt a Family Project, has meant much more paperwork and planning than we have had to complete in the past.

 

It is imperative that we get the aid out to the poor families in the rural areas of Romania before the winter fully sets in.

 

November is not the first choice of months for travelling out to Romania to deliver aid but we have very good knowledge of what to expect as far as the weather is concerned and have the experienced personel on board now to ensure that all the aid is delivered without major problems.

 

One aspect which has really effected us this year is the increase in transport costs - over £1000 more than May 2007. However when this is set along side the value of the goods we have collected and the number of needy Romanians we touch whilst on the aid trip it is, in fact, very good value for money.

 

More funding is still needed and any donations would be very helpfull even at this stage of the planning.

 

 

Weighing some of the 100 pieces of special equipment for disabled children and preparing the transportation paperwork in readiness for the 

Drop in the Ocean Humanitarian Aid Trip to Romania November 2008.

 

 

Corinne & Kath in our storage wagon sorting and packing clothing

 for poor families in the rural villages of Gageni & Danes for the

Drop in the Ocean Humanitarian Aid Trip 2008

 

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 1st August 2008

 

It's all hands to the pumps, so to speak, at the moment for the Oak Tree team and all their helpers and supporters.

 

Provisional dates in September 2008 have been set down for the Drop in the Ocean Project 2008 to take place taking much needed humanitarian aid out to families and other groups in Romania

 

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 Saturday 22nd March 2008

 

Syngenta Limited at Alderly Edge, Cheshire have kindly donated five pallets of computer equipment to Oak Tree which will be transported over to Romania and split between two village schools and a children disabled association.

 

Pictured below is Martin Williams and David MCasey from Syngenta waiting to load the pallets on to the back of the Oak Tree wagon:

 

 

 

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 Tuesday 18th March 2008

 

Collection of donated clothing, toys and educational supplies from the residents of Wessen Court, Marsden, Huddersfield.

 

Although not our youngest supporters the residents have been supporting Oak Tree for many years and have again been busy knitting and collecting vital basic aid for poor families in the villages of Romania.

 

Pictured below is Mrs Margaret Leyland just finishing the boxes and bags ready to be handed over:

 

 

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9th February 2008

 

Oak Tree Foundation launches its appeal for help from groups in the

 

Drop in the Ocean Family Box Project 2008.

 

An appeal has gone out to individuals and members of church groups, Mother's Unions, WI, Cubs, Scouts, Guides & Brownies, Social Groups to Adopt a Family.

 

OTF have for many years delivered Family Boxes of clothing to a large number of poor and needy children and their families but this year they have over 60 families to support.

 

Help is needed and that is why this appeal has been made.

 

Any group that offers help will be more of less adopting the family for this years project and will be given details of the family, the number of adults, children and their sizes so that the clothing transported to Romania will fit the person who receives it. That means NO WASTE.

 

Everything is needed from shoes and socks to underclothes and coats. We do not expect new clothing but as long as it fit that will be OK. A guide the OTF members have used in the past is

                     ' Would I wear it? Would I put that on my child to wear?'

If the answer is yes then it is suitable to be donated and used in Romania.

 

Help and assistance will be given to each group into how to go about things and what else can be put into the boxes ( like toothpaste and brushes). We will also provided the boxes for packing.

 

A photograph of the family being helped will also be given to the group so they can actually see who it is that will be receiving their gifts of help.

 

After the project the OTF will give up dates to the various groups as to how their adopted family is doing.

 

Anyone interested should look at the special page on this web site or contact the OTF via the contact page or using the telephone numbers supplied.

 

 

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 1st February 2008