Easter House 2012
In 2000, Habitat launched its most successful and most publicized event: Easter House. In the project, at least one needy family is helped to live in safe, healthy and decent conditions. As such, during Holy Week, a home is built by volunteers alongside homeowner beneficiaries and is then dedicated on Good Friday.
This year at Easter, the beneficiaries will be three young people who were raised in adoptive families with many siblings within the Caminul Felix Foundation. They are Adrian Szabo (24 years old), Maria Lazar (24 years old) and Valeria Popa (22 years old). Their life stories are impressive and now they have the amazing chance to radically change their lives as each of them receive a studio flat as part of this year’s Easter House project.
After only a week of work, volunteers and beneficiaries of the Easter House have reached the end of the mission
Although on Monday, 2nd April there was a Siberan wind blowing, the many volunteers that came from two schools in Germany and two churches from Northern Ireland were not frightened and started work with a determination that at the end of the week, where there was a foundation, they would leave a house. During the week, they jumped in to help 20 Romanian volunteers, employees from Faist Mekatronic in Oradea who helped at preparing the roof and mounting the roof tiles. So, after just five days, the work which many thought to be impossible, was achieved: the house was built and then inaugurated on Friday, 6th April.
“I am very happy to be here in Oradea. I love what I do here, I love Habitat and what it represents and it gives me great pleasure to help others, as much as I can, as my strength allows.” says Liz Fleming, a 70+ year old from Northern Ireland who really wanted to come to Romania to participate in this event.
The beneficiaries of the Easter House are three young people who grew up in adopted families and have worked all week with the volunteers. Their life stories are impressive, and they have always lived in hope. The most important dreams were now accomplished, that of having a home of their own. At the inauguration ceremony, the emotion could be read on their faces, as tears of joy flowed on their faces and also the faces of volunteers. Beautiful words were spoken, and the beneficiaries received keys, a Bible and flowers from the volunteers. In return the volunteers were rewarded with applause, lots of affection, diplomas and an inaugural plaque.
“We thank God that we’ve succeeded in finishing this project. We thank these wonderful people who came from all over the world to help the needy. We are also deeply grateful to Lafarge, who supported us with cement and also those from Faist who helped us with money and labor. The involvement and dedication they have shown with everyone else is evidence that goodness and love of a neighbor has no borders and that they are found everywhere, including in Romanians.” said Marcel Coroiu, president of Habitat for Humanity Beius.
The volunteers who participated in this efvent are originally from nine countries: Canada, China, Switzerland, France, Germany, Northern Ireland, Romania, Turkey and USA.
Photos taken during the event and at the dedication ceremony cand be found on our Facebook account at: www.facebook.com/habitatbeius
Easter House Beneficiaries 2012
Adrian Szabo, 24 years old
Adrian was born in the town of Salonta, coming from a family where both his mother and father were alcoholics. “I was small when my mother abandoned me at the Children’s Hospital in Oradea because I was very sick. My natural mother is still alive, but my father died because of the alcohol” said Adrian.
Adrian was brought to Caminul Felix around the time when the foundation was established. He was 3 and a half years old when he moved there. He lived here for 7 years from 1993 until 2000, at which point he moved to live with Adrian and Lidia Mihocaş’ family where he’s still currently living. They work at Caminul Felix and they told Adrian about the project with Habitat. “Since the moment Caminul Felix started collaborating with Habitat building homes for those who have grown up at Caminul Felix, I’ve wanted to benefit from this wonderful help. For a long time, I’ve dreamt of having a studio flat that was mine.” said Adrian.
Maria Lazăr, 24 years old
Maria is also among the children who have been raised by adoptive parents together with many other adopted kids, rather than by her parents who brought her into this world. Since she was 18 years old, she’s been working as a seamstress at the Caminul Felix workshop in Sântandrei. She currently lives in a studio apartment which is just 11m2 (118 sq. feet) and was previously used as a drying room for clothes in a block of apartments. It’s very difficult living here as she only has minimal living conditions and her small income allows her to just get by. About half of the money that she earns goes to pay the rent and the rest for utilities and food. “I would be really happy if I could also obtain a Habitat home as well, to have a minimal comfort and safety, like how I dreamt when I was small” said Maria.
Valeria Popa, 22 years old
Valeria has also been living at Caminul Felix for 13 years along with other brothers and sisters who have come from broken families. She was born in 
Marghita and lived a few kilometres away in the small village of Reghea. Here she lived with her parents and six siblings.
“My parents were alcoholics and were always away from home. Since I was the oldest child, I needed to take care of my siblings, to cook for them, to wash them, to help them, being like a mother for them. I remember the time when I was small, during a really cold winter’s night, my younger brother who was just 4 months old, died in my arms…. He died because of the cold….. A week later, my parents brought me to Caminul Felix. During my years spent at Caminul Felix, I came to know God and to become his child, to have a wonderful family and a life full of hope.”
She also heard from her adoptive parents and friends, about the partnership between Habitat and Caminul Felix. Because she really wanted a home, she applied to the program with great hope. She was very happy when she found out that she was amongst the beneficiaries for the next Habitat homes.
Get Involved as well:
The Saviour taught us that it’s a great joy to give and everyone knows that feeling of happiness as you give a present, especially for Easter. Now it’s your chance to have great joy, helping these three youth to radically change their lives because of your gift. They will live in decent because you helped!
- Make a donation for the success of this project
- Donate construction materials necessary for the building of these homes.
- Participate in the future as a volunteer, or organize a Team Building with Habitat.
- Promote the Easter House event amongst your friends and encourage them to get involved as well. Write about the event on your website, your blogs and your social networks. Share this message.
- Pray for the success of the event and for the futures of Adrian, Maria and Valeria.
- Contact us if you have other ideas about how we can help families in need of a home.
- Thank you in the name of these three youth. Wishing you an Easter that is full of joy!
Easter House History
In 2000 Habitat for Humanity Beiuş held the first „Easter House” event. Through this event, we wanted at least one family each year to benefit from a new home around Easter time. Since then, it has become an uninterupted tradition that those with big hearts have come together to help a family living in difficult conditions to enjoy Easter in a decent house.
Also at this event we celebrate love of Christ and God’s commandments telling us to love our neighbour. We want to demonstrate our faith through the support of the poor, disabled, orphaned and marginalized.
2011
We’ve built a mini neighbourhood of 30 homes on land received from the Beius local council. Amongst the houses built this year, included the Easter house, a triplex where the beneficiaries were a deaf and dumb family, Ionuţ and Andreea Mance with their two children and two single people Catiţa Maioş, a pensioner abandoned by her family and Silvia Lăcătuş, a youth who grew up in an orphanage. As a very special project, the county Prefect himself, Gavrilă Ghilea, was one of the volunteers and supporters of the project together with the companies Adeplast, Vodafone and Lafarge.
2010
Aurora Horge along with her two children, Andrei and Ana-Maria were living in a small old adobe house in the village of Bunteşti near Beiuş. Although she was abandoned by her husband, Aurora would not relent and tried hard to give her two children a better life. She decided to call Habitat for Humanity Beius and it was Easter 2010 with lots of emotion when she received the keys to their new home and a new hope for a better future.
2009
Romeo and Timea Trok together with their two children Kevin and Mark, are a roma family who had lived the whole of the lives in a rundown block of apartments on the outskirts of Oradea. In the spring of 2009, helped by many volunteers including 30 roma from a Roma Baptist Church, the Trok family members were the beneficiaries of the Easter House which they saw as a miracle that had taken place in their lives .
2008
The Fărcuţ family from Mizieş lived in a very old abode house which was at risk of collapsing on them at any moment. Having a disabled son, they had never been able to put money to one side. But they had never lost hope that God would help them. Since Easter 2007, they live in a new durable healthy home.
2007
A further two families, the Borz and Gavra families each with 2 children, celebrated Easter in a warm and healthy home after living many years in difficult conditions.
2006
This year, both the Coş and the Morgovan families were the beneficiaries of new homes. Forty students from Wesley College volunteered in building these two homes as with previous Easter House projects.
2005
The Herdean family had been living for many years in the vicarage in the village of Drăgăneşti. They received land from an uncle, but although both spouses worked and they didn’t pay rent, they hadn’t even managed to save enough money even for the foundation. But their prayers were heard and on Maundy Thursday and a group of nine priests blessed their new home.
2004
Geta Heredea together with her husband and 3 children lived together in a single room in a small adobe house in the village of Mizieş. Geta, although she was a simple country woman and had a movement disability wanted to change the hard life of her family. As such she called Habitat and her dream was fulfilled.
2003
A team of 20 volunteers from Wesley College in Dublin, Ireland, helped to renovate three apartments in Holy Week of 2003 in a block of apartments in Beius. Three young families who grew up in an orphanage and formed their own families were the joyful beneficiaries of better living conditions in this year.
2002
In this year, the Băruţa family home was renovated. Their home which was madebeneficiază de o renovare a propriei locuinţe. They lived in an old adobe house, cold and too small for tehir family needs. Being a family of seven members, their home was extended with another bedroom.
2001
Victor Goina, a disabled engineer together with his wife and daughter moved into the 2001 Easter House. The home was built to be handicap accesible (wheelchair ramp and handrails throughout the home) to make life easier for Victor.
2000
The first family which was beneficiary of a „Easter House” was the the Burlacu family, a mother and two children.
