13 students of the Melanchthon de Blesewic secondary school, from the Netherlands, volunteered in Oradea and its surroundings, guided by Caritas. The Dutch students collected money for the needy, prepared, with their own hands, a hundred sandwiches, dined with the orphans of Săcueni and distributed food packages in the poor areas of Sălacea.
Why would a group of Dutch high school students choose to travel to Oradea instead of Barcelona, Lisbon or Prague, as part of their school week dedicated to class trips, to volunteer for the benefit of orphans and the needy in Bihor? The answer comes from one of the pedagogues who led the team, music teacher Bernard Hoving: “The rest of the optional destinations were tourist trips, which the young people will have the opportunity to go on in the future. But, in Romania, I can gain invaluable experience thanks to the programs of the Caritas Catolica Oradea Association. Through volunteering, young people build character while bringing joy to others. The students who participated in the program last year shared many good things about their experiences, which convinced many to join us this year,” said the teacher.
Thus, between April 18 and 25, instead of dream stays in Spain or Portugal, 13 students of the Melanchthon de Blesewic secondary school in the Netherlands volunteered in Oradea and its surroundings under the leadership of teachers Karin Vermeulen, Jan de Jong and Bernard Hoving, guided by the local Caritas team. The activity was a continuation of a program launched last year, in which students volunteer in localities belonging to the Diocese of Oradea to help families, individuals and institutions supported by the Caritas Catolica Oradea Association. Funding for trips and activities was raised by students over the course of a school year at various charity fairs and school events.
The program in Oradea started on Friday, April 19, when the Dutch students prepared a hundred sandwiches with their own hands. They were distributed during the evening to the beneficiaries of the night shelter for the homeless in Oradea, who kindly led the visitors around the complex. They showed them the bedrooms, the showers, the nurse’s room and gave them a glimpse of their daily lives. Through personal, direct conversations, the Dutch students got to know the life stories of some beneficiaries and situations hard to imagine for foreigners. The meeting ended with a joint prayer led by the self-appointed preacher of the night asylum community. At the end of the evening, the volunteer team watched the city lights from the top of Ciuperca hill.
“The visit to the homeless shelter remains a special memory for me. It was nice to be able to help these very poor and penniless people with a small gesture. This experience left its mark on my soul, in the good sense of the word. We promised to come back here with my friends after we graduate,” said Luke, one of the participating students.
They spent Saturday with the young people from the House of the Lord Jesus Child in Săcueni. Volunteers played soccer, frisbee and badminton in mixed teams with the orphans, but there was also time for other types of volunteer activities, such as setting meals and cleaning vegetables in the children’s home kitchen. The atmosphere was fantastic with lots of laughter and music. After the young people finished the sports activities, they all sat at the table and had lunch together with the orphans. Before parting, the team promised to visit the young and old residents of the house in Săcueni again next year, and they also donated two kettles and sandwich makers to the institution of the St. Francis Foundation.
They discovered the beauties of Bihor
To see not only the social cases, but also the beauties of the place, Caritas took the volunteers on a trip to Vadu Crișului on Sunday, April 21. The Dutch youth were fascinated by the beauty of the mountain ranges in the Craiului Forest, as their own country mostly consists of flat plains, so the mountain hiking and visiting the cave was a great adventure for them. Recharged by the view of the waterfall and the fresh mountain air, the team was able to continue their humanitarian journey the following week.
The next day, the Dutch distributed food packages in the poor areas of Sălacea village. Invited to some homes, the young people gained an insight into the lives of the people there, especially families with many children and elderly people living alone. The team also had the opportunity to participate in a meeting with the mayor of the commune, Béla Horváth.
At the end of Monday, the team also visited an elderly lady from Marghita, a beneficiary of the Caritas home care program, whose cataract surgery was sponsored by the Dutch, and thanks to their help she regained her sight at 84 years, after ten years of blindness.
On Tuesday, April 23, the students volunteered throughout the morning in the garden of the St. Elisabeta Nursing Home in Oradea.
“It felt wonderful to help the elderly and the sick. I have decided to try to come again next year as part of the class trip week. This program was an unforgettable experience for me,” said Lara, a 16-year-old student.
The young Dutch people gave the helpless people not only sweets and sports equipment, but also their human approach, they went out to play football and badminton on the meadows or did face painting and indoor activities with the children they visited in the Diocese of Bihor and Telechiu.
The closing day of the volunteer week was Wednesday, April 24. In the morning, the young people visited the sick and elderly cared for within the Caritas home care program in Oradea. They sang to them and gave them gifts, but more than anything, they took the time to talk to them and listen to them. Their youthful presence brought light to patients’ homes.
As part of the “Blesewic – Romania” program, another Dutch group is expected to arrive in Oradea next spring, but the young people will not be idle until then. Led by their teachers, they will organize fundraising campaigns throughout the year to obtain financial resources for the program.
