Community Center Lumina Colorom
The neighborhood Colorom
In January 2024, we opened the first community center in Colorom, the neighborhood with the highest poverty and most problems in the city of Codlea. Many local Romanians and churches want to have little to no involvement with the residents of this neighborhood due to the severity of the issues. There are significant problems with alcohol and drugs, and prostitution and violence are also prevalent. Consequently, Colorom has a bad reputation, which discourages people from offering help. In the past, various attempts have been made to provide assistance in the neighborhood, but unfortunately, these have ended. This gives us extra motivation to be active precisely in this area.
Living Conditions
The neighborhood consists of many densely populated apartment buildings. Most apartments have 1 or 2 rooms and are no larger than 20 m². In most cases, residents share sanitary facilities located on the gallery. We visited a family where a mother lived with four children in a space of about 15 m², containing just a sofa and a bed. The children slept on the floor; this is an average situation in the neighborhood.
Program
At the Lumina Community Center in Colorom, there are three age groups for the kids’ club. The program starts every day at 2:00 p.m. with homework help.
On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, the program focuses primarily on Bible education. Each week centers on a specific theme. We read from the Bible, pray, sing, and wrap up with a craft activity and a game.
Creative activities are organized on Thursdays and Fridays. For example, the children take cooking or sewing classes. The program emphasizes the importance of hygiene and self-reliance, as well as how to prepare (healthy) meals in a simple, affordable way.
On Friday evenings, we hold a youth group. During this evening, Bible study is central, combined with a group game or, for example, a game of table tennis.
Date:
8 November 2024