Madam, - I read in last Saturday's edition about the travel of a number of gypsies from the Tileagd community in Romania to Ballymun. I am 17 years old and have been on three mission trips to Romania with the Smiles Foundation. I have worked with the Tileagd gypsy community.
While reading the article I realised that one of the men mentioned, Constantin Rostas, is from the family that I sponsor. Each month my brother (15), my sister (18) and I put our pocket money together to provide this family of 10 with food that will last them a month. Our money provides them with basic essentials. It was with great sadness that I read that his mother had sold her house to provide the money for Constantin to travel to Ireland to beg. Even with the money we give, they have so little and need a way out of this cycle of poverty.
He showed great courage in his actions. He risked everything; with one leg and no money he optimistically fled to Ireland, hoping that he would later return to his family and enable them to live a better life. Constantin wanted to earn money to build another room for his family to live in as his family of 10 currently live in one small room. I have seen the places that these people live in - places that we would consider to be no more than a garden shed, but to them are home. I am just back from Romania with a group from my church.
Next summer I hope to spend two months in Romania and soon I hope to finalise the details for sponsoring another family. The Smiles Foundation (www.the smilesfoundation) does such great work in Romania that I want to support it in any way I can, through providing money and attending regular trips to Romania. The best thing it has done is to build a school for the gypsy community, which hopefully means that the children will be able to get jobs in the future. - Yours, etc,
LAURA KENNEDY, Knockhill Park, Belfast 5.