Premium
A few generous women from Blaj managed to make it easier for over a month, alternately with a group of parents from Aiud (both cities of central County of Alba, Transylvania), to make easier the train journey to the West of several thousand Ukrainian refugees, offering them sandwiches, water, sweets, various hygiene products, glasses and disposable plates and, sometimes, medicines and even clothing and shoes.
Members of the Running&Cycling Blaj Sports Club Association, they mobilized and, with the support of the Orthodox Deanery of Blaj, the Caritas Greek-Catholic Metropolitan Blaj Association, the Maltese Service Blaj branch, Gimn Star Blaj, of some grocery stores, as well as of some individuals - from co-workers to people who contacted them on social networks, managed to offer a package to the refugees on the train that took them from Bucharest to Vienna.
"Every time another group, other faces that look at us through the windows of the compartments. Some greet us shyly, through a simple bending of the head, others smile at us or thank us," the volunteers from Blaj said on their Facebook page.
And so was the case on Tuesday evening, when four of the Blaj women went, again, on the platform of the station, where, for a minute, while the train was stationed, they helped 60 other refugees, leaving the boxes of food and hygiene products at the end of the wagon. Tired and exhausted, some were puzzled and surprised that someone was helping them in this way, not forgetting to say, from all their heart, "Spasiba" (thank you, ed. n.).
Every time they know how many refugees are on the train and if they need something special, besides food, as they receive the information from another person involved, Angela Moldovan, from Brasov, in helping the Ukrainians. In fact, she, originally from Alba County, contacted them, knowing that Running & Cycling Blaj had numerous humanitarian campaigns over time, Agerpres.ro informs.
"She tells us the number of travellers, of refugees, also from her we find out how many children are on the train, what are the special requirements, if they are sick, if they need medicines," teacher Delia Iorga told AGERPRES.
Immediately after they posted, in mid-March, images from the platform of the railway station in Blaj in the standby of the train in which there were refugees, they were contacted by the parish priest Ionica Rusan, from the nearby Saint Mary Church, where products gathered for the Ukrainians were collected, and who told them to take what they thought they needed. Then, "Angela Moldovan got in touch with the director of the Caritas Greek-Catholic Metropolitan Association Blaj, Father Nicolae Anusca, and for about two weeks she helps us too. For example, one day a week they make the sandwiches. They give us water, juice and hygiene products. We also received support from three grocery stores. They give us the bread for sandwiches," said Delia Iorga.
Another help they received from the Orthodox Church in Manarade (a locality included in Blaj, ed. n.), where the one who prepared and offered the sandwiches in an evening for the refugees was the priestess. In another evening, came the priest and priestess from Bucerdea Granoasa, with fruits and croissants. Another time, a family from Lunca offered many sweets.
Delia Iorga also wanted to thank the owner of the space where the products are gathered, Lucia Cristina Florea, who is hosting them for a month now and who also gave them donations in money, but also to the parents of her students, from Bucerdea Granoasa, who helped make sandwiches or gave money.
The volunteer Camelia Rotar said that she was also helped by her colleagues from the Valea Lunga school, and another volunteer, who works at the hospital in Blaj, Eugenia Pop, said that she received donations to buy the necessary ones from her colleagues - nurses, doctors.
Ioana Arusti, another member of the association involved in helping the refugees, was responsible on Tuesday evening for preparing 60 sandwiches. Her record was 150.
So far, only the volunteers from Blaj, without counting the people helped by the mothers from Aiud, have helped over 2,200 refugees. Taking into account the large number of people helped, their financial resources began to diminish.
Even if in the last period the number of Ukrainians transiting the area by train has decreased, the volunteers from Aiud and Blaj are determined to help those who are still coming, forced to take refuge because of the war.
The association to which the Blaj volunteers belong, carries out at the level of the locality numerous activities, generally sports, but which have, most of the times, a charitable purpose, such as the "Hope Cross". It also runs the campaign "Give hope", going twice a year, on Christmas and Easter, in Trascau Mountains, in Rimet commune, where they "adopted" elderly and lonely people, helping them both with food, but also in the household at different jobs.
