ABC of OCC - R

A child at the 'Patarat' community
which is on the city dump

R is for Romania. Where it all began. In December 1990, when Dave Cooke led the first convoy to Romania he only knew that he was to meet a man with a beard at a roadsign outside Cluj, Romania.

Sure enough, there he was. That man was Liviu Balas head of the newly formed Christian charity Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man"). Liviu took them to the orphanages and Ecce Homo has been taking shoeboxes to children in Romania ever since.

The work of Ecce Homo has brought about change for many poor and suffering children over the last 20 years, through Social Assistance, provision of Summer Camps, Children's Clubs and Women's Groups. It focuses on children's emotional recovery and developing their skills for an independent life.

Liviu Balas - our man in Romania

Plus, of course, they still distribute shoeboxes right across Romania (last year it was around 150,000!)  In 2006, Liviu told us the story of Claudiu who was only a few months old when he was abandoned by his mother and left in his grandparents care who were very needy themselves. One night, he was chopping wood with his grandfather and he saw the sparkling of decorated Christmas Trees standing in the windows of other houses. How he longed for such a tree and a warm home... and at that moment he lifted his head up to the sky saw a shooting star and made a wish that he wanted a box of toys as a Christmas gift. When his wish came true with the shoebox - he couldn't believe his eyes! The beautifully wrapped box that he received not only had toys, but also sweets. God's answer to his prayer that night will stay forever as a light in Claudiu's heart.

Liviu says "When you bring a smile to a child's face, you witness a miracle!" Please join us this year and tell your friends and family to make a shoebox - they really do change lives and attitudes.