4,226 individuals helped this month through the SEED Project.

What is the SEED Project?

The SEED Project stands for Something to Eat Every Day. The project exists to transform Roma communities by enabling them to become self-sufficient. To do this, we provide training in agriculture, seminar training in setting up small businesses and by starting small business that solely employ members of the Roma community. Because of stigma in Europe, members of the Roma community often find themselves unemployed. We also provide basic necessities such as seeds, livestock and tools to enable people in the community to grow their own produce, ready for sale.

How have we adapted to COVID-19?

This month has been very challenging in our SEED project due to the COVID-19 quarantine. A lot of communication, creativity in executing projects and changes in plans have been required.  

We have been having daily conversations with different Project Coordinators on the ground and what we’re finding is that people need a lot of time investment, especially when they are not able to go about their normal, everyday activities. It’s hard for them not only on a physical level, but also emotionally and spiritually. 
Much encouragement is needed to reassure them that they aren’t alone and forgotten about in their situation.  

The impoverished world problems are so much bigger than what we are experiencing here, mainly because of the lack of basic necessities and not having the resources to meet basic human needs.
The vulnerable population that we are serving through the SEED projects have been incredibly impacted with this lockdown. We have been giving out seeds for planting, but what we have found is that families were starving, some ate any possible seeds (like potatoes) before they could plant them because their children were starving.  

Most adults in our projects are hourly or seasonal wage–earners and with everything closed they aren’t able to provide, so we had to start adding food packages to assist the families we were working with. This way, they would have food to sustain them until the vegetables start growing.

Recent successes?

People affected by these circumstances span internally displaced persons due to the war, residents of front-line villages, widows with many children, single mothers, adaptation centres for graduates of orphanages, pensioners and disabled people and Roma families who live below the poverty line. 

All this has caused people to panic, fear and have insecurity for the future. 

The SEED project became the answer to the need in this difficult time. Help was directed to:
 

• Families of frontline villages – 13 settlements, 575 families. This
  region is going through difficult times of war, hunger, unemployment and
  depression. The land is the only resource that helps to survive physically
  and psychologically. Thanks to the project, 471 people prayed a prayer of
  repentance. 
• 60 needy families in the Kozelshchina village of the Poltava region. These seeds
  mean that these families have the opportunity to provide food for the whole year. 
• 100 families in Khomutets village of the Zhytomyr region had the opportunity
  to sow their gardens with quality seeds and also heard the Gospel. 
• 27 families of internally displaced refugees, large families and the
  elderly in the Nikolskoye village of the Kirovograd region. This project changes
  their lives for the better and provides an opportunity for them to start a new life
  without war. 
• ‘Father’s house’ shelter in the Kiev region – these seeds will help provide food for the
  children living here. 
• 20 families of Ivano-Frankivsk had the opportunity to have a harvest and
  provide food which they could not afford because of difficult life circumstances. 
• Vinnitsa – seeds were sent to the Orphans Promise transition home where 14 children
  reside. Included amongst these are mothers with babies and many needy families in the area, all receiving help through the Joseph’s House training centre. 
• 8 families in Berdyansk – these are people with a low standard of living. 
• 270 families in Roma camps of the Transcarpathian region.

In total, 4226 people received help this month.

How can you help?

Our aim is to develop and grow the SEED Project into places right across Europe, namely Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria.

Please pray for the development of the project and for those involved in serving and receiving help.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, need is greater than ever. If you are able, please consider donating to ensure that this great work can continue and no one has to go a day without food.

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