Metropolitan Serafim and Romanians from Germany met hundreds of children they sponsor in Romania

The Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Germany and 47 donors from the Romanian diaspora visited on Friday Romania’s most impoverished town, Negrești, in Vaslui county, where they offer monthly scholarships for 450 children. The financial support is offered through the eparchial Programme “Scholarships for the Poor Children of Moldavia”.

“I was glad to meet many of these children and find out they are well-behaved and have become attached to the Church since the scholarship programme was started,” said His Eminence Serafim, the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Germany. “They have also become more attached to the school,” he added.

The day started at the summer altar of the Pentecost Parish in Negrești, Vaslui county, in eastern Romania, where the hierarch of Germany officiated the Divine Liturgy together with the Archbishop of Tomis.

Among the participants were clerics, local officials and teacher Doinița Mihai, the local programme coordinator.

The hosts sang “Happy birthday!” to Metropolitan Serafim, as the event took place the day before his birthday.

After the liturgy, teacher Doinița Mihai presented the outcomes of the programme.

The metropolitan took the opportunity to announce the programme could be completed by another one, dedicated to small entrepreneurs and local producers – provided the appropriate coordinators are found.

His Eminence was awarded by the Mayor of Negrești an honorary plaque, while the local coordinators offered him a monograph of Vaslui county.

The children who are beneficiaries of the “Scholarships for the poor children of Moldavia” Programme offered their sponsors small gifts that they especially handcrafted for the occasion. In turn, they received gifts from the Metropolis of Germany.

The social scholarship programme was started in 2013, at the initiative of Metropolitan Serafim, who visits Negrești yearly. Through the programme, the children also enjoy annual trips or seaside camps, while during the pandemic they received 100 tablets for online learning.

The “Scholarships for the Poor Children of Moldavia” Programme offers support for 600 children in total: 450 from Negrești, in Vaslui county, and the other 250 from the county of Botoșani. the children receive monthly 30-euros worth tickets to buy food and clothes. Some of them also receive a hot meal a day.