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"Helvetia House" and Foundation "Ana", a partnership that relieve pain needy
It will be 22 years already since he has started to help the Romanians with poor financial situation lead by the desire to make their life more bearable. Because of his concern, children from orphanages, elders from asylums, children from community, city halls and a lot of families received humanitarian help or were involved in projects that gave them a little more hope.
His name is Walter Podolak, a Swiss citizen, 61 years old and heâs the president of the mutual aid foundation Casa Helvetia. For almost two decades Romania represents for Walter his second homeland. He involves himself body and soul in charitable activities, being startled by both the sufferings of people living here and the beauty of this corner of the world.
âI would like to spend more time in this country because Romania is just like my second homeland.â
Walter Podolak came to Romania for the first time in winter of 1990.
There werenât any invitations but a mere desire to help his peers. There were some interviews and TV shows he saw which showed the image of the poorly living Romanian citizens, their financial struggles after the end of communist governance. The TV story of the old people and children left him under a stronger impression than anything else happening in Romania at those times.
He immediately relayed on the generosity of his countrymen from the region of Ruti who responded in no time. Parishioners from different churches collected together clothes, bedsteads, furniture, matrasses, food and other goods consider by them as necessities for people in Romania. All this made not just a one or two trucks but an entire convoy of cars with humanitarian aid.
âSince then Iâve been visiting Romania every year and every time I was thinking that itâs a little bit better this time, things are getting settled in Romania. I would like to enjoy my time here a little longer because itâs my second home. I like the people and the landscapes â there are really extraordinary. My eldest son, a very experienced electrician, is thinking about coming in Romania for workâ â says the president of Casa Helvetica Foundation.
The best holidays were spent at Danube Delta. And the most delicious pizza in the world you can find in Galati.
Heidi (could there be any other name?), Walter Podolakâs wife, is worried that her husband is exhausting himself by organizing for so many years humanitarian aid not only for Romania, but also for Lithuania, Estonia, Russia.
But sheâs aware that this is the calling her husband is answering to and sheâs trying to support him in any possible ways. Their three children spent a lot of holidays in Romania. They are also supporting their fatherâs activity but at the same time they are enjoying at the fullest the hospitality and the beauty of such counties as Suceava and Botosani.
They say that the greatest vacation they had was spent at the Danube Delta, a unique corner of the world and they also strongly believe that the most delicious pizza wouldnât be find in Italy but in Galati.
Ana Foundation, trusted by Swiss
Since 2010 till present Casa Helvetia Foundation, Walter Podolak personally, entrusted the responsibility of sharing the humanitarian aid with Suceava inhabitants to ANA Foundation, the organization we know due its involvement within different projects, the aid theyâve given to suffering children and socially vulnerable families during at least 11 years. The cooperation between the two foundations leaded to the fair an efficient spread of humanitarian aid â things being received exactly by the persons in need.
The volunteers of ANA Foundation are those who identify the âproblem areasâ, the socially vulnerable families, things they need, monitoring the process and keeping it under control.
10 tons of humanitarian aid from Casa Helvetia is shared monthly by Ana Foundation.
Each month, the generosity of people from Ruti region, as great as it was 22 year ago is shown through a new shipped humanitarian aid. 10 tons of foods, clothes, shoes, household items, bedsteads, toys, bicycles, school items, items of medical use are brought from Suisse and hosted at the ANA foundation storage. The volunteers of the organization carefully select the goods and distribute them accordingly to the identified needs.
Thus the humanitarian aid was received by families, parishes, and city halls from Bogdanesti, Falticeni, Ipotesti, Dorna Arinini, Darmanesti, Paltinoasa, Frumosu, Negostina and many other places smaller or bigger from Suceava County, also there were two catholic parishes from Iasi and Targu Frumos where Ana Foundation has subsidiaries. The aid also was received by community centers for children and adults shielded by Department of Social Assistance and Child Protection Suceava, Ana Foundation being involved in different projects implemented by the county institutions for social security.
Casa Helvetia was the organization that also has sent for children from Suceava 2000 presents for winter holydays distributed by Ana Foundation volunteers on Christmas Eve.
âOur volunteers are doing the same thing now that theyâve been doing before being entrusted by Casa Helvetia with a new responsibility. But we didnât have the same possibilities until then even if we were helped by local partners. The partnership with the Swiss foundation, which is sending 10-11 tons of humanitarian aid monthly, gave us the chance to help much more families, to bring a smile on the faces of children who receive things they need, or a simple toy and sweets. We are greatly honored by the trust we received from Mr. Walter Podolak which makes us to do our best in the charity fieldâ â says Mr. Nelu Todireanu, president of ANA Foundation.
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