On Wednesday 7 November, Emmaus Cambridge sent a shipping container with 400 boxes of bric-a-brac, 15 bikes and more than 100 chairs to the Romanian Emmaus community based in Satu Mare.
Landbeach-based charity, Emmaus Cambridge, sent its first container to Romania in 2014 and has continued to make regular donations to the Romanian community ever since. The container marks the eighth shipment from the community and is worth the equivalent of £10,000 when sold in Romania.
Typically, people living in the Satu Mare community are under 25 years-old and have been in the Romanian care system their entire life. As residents of the community, they have access to health care and support in finding permanent housing. Like Emmaus Cambridge, the Satu Mare community relies on donations of second-hand and pre-loved items to sell in its social enterprise so it can continue to support people in rebuilding their lives following social exclusion and homelessness.
Mark Boden, Operations Assistant at Emmaus Cambridge, said:
“Solidarity is so important to everyone at Emmaus Cambridge, and this project works so well because everyone really does get involved. Our sister community in Romania have a very small collection service due to a poor economy, and we hope that by sending regular containers the community is able to continue the work they do.”
Emmaus Cambridge provides a home for as long as needed and meaningful work for up to 44 formerly homeless people. Those supported by the community live together and help to manage the charity’s social enterprise by working in its shop, coffee shop, and gardens, which allows them to gain valuable skills and raise vital funds to run the charity. Solidarity, meaning to help someone less fortunate, is an important part of Emmaus Cambridge, and any surplus generated from its social enterprise is used for acts of solidarity locally and internationally.
To find out more about the work of Emmaus Cambridge, visit www.emmaus.org.uk/cambridge