I had no idea what to expect! I see Romanian Gypsies all over Ireland. I even read a book about Gypsies in England, about a boy that left that community. They've not been very welcomed here in Ireland and even asking a Romanian about them, you can sense a tension of "don't associate me with them!". So all in all I was excited to actually see the Roma in their own community.
The scene that greeted me when we got to the camp was honestly shocking! We are just outside the city, in the local city dump. Where the livelihood of these people is actually to take care of the city's trash. (The Roma's have been doing this for 500 years!)
The setting for the Roma camps is absolutely stunning! We're in a sort of valley with little shacks scatted all over the hill. The specific camp that we're in is called Dallas. Just on the hill above is a rival camp. And just a little further down the hill and to the right is yet another rival camp. Some of the shacks are proper little 4-walled houses with wood roofs that missionaries from the Netherlands have helped build for them. Other homes are just 4 walls held up somehow with a tarp and tire roof. It's normal to find a family of 12 or 14 to be living in these homes.
There is trash littered throughout the entire camp. Upon first getting here I'd seen this sad creature that I actually couldn't tell if it was a dead puppy or simply a stuffed animal. As KJ and Zsolti start taking us down the hill to see more of the community, KJ redirects us as it turns out it is a dead puppy along the way we were going to go.
In the whole camp there is no running water. Located in various places in the camp are 3 or 4 taps that people collect their water at. In the middle of the camp are outhouses. Somehow there is a bathing system, but it's not a high priority (I'm not actually sure what it is). The chief has electricity, which for a fee, he shares with the family's that want it.
In the middle of all this are children. Loads of them! Children covered in dirt. With matted hair that stands up on its own. At first they just peek out around the sides of their homes, then they stand more in the open, waving and smiling at us. Then as soon as they recognize KJ and Zsolti they run into KJ's arms! As introductions are slowly made and Vicki and I are taught how to say basic phrases, like "my name is... what's your name?" the children warm up to us. And the next thing I know I've become is a human jungle gym! Children just wanting to be held and swung or just twirled. Just wanting so much to be loved. Thank you Jesus that physical contact crosses all sorts of language barriers!
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| KJ with a couple of the Roma girls |
The desire is not to change the culture of the Roma camp, but rather to show the rising generation there's more out there then the dump they live in. This is being done by slowly building relationships with some of the children in the community. By teaching them a skill, through workshops. Zsolti teaches 3 teenage boys craftsmanship. While KJ teaches 3 teenage girls sewing. In the midsts of teaching them a craft, the couple is discipling these teenagers, showing them Jesus by teaching them how to work with their hands. Even though there are many more in the camp then these 6 teens, the desire is to be intentional with these 6 and then they can help assist with the next kids that join the workshops, so that even as they grow in numbers they can still be intentional. Loving these kids and showing them Jesus.
As Zsolti and KJ show us Dallas one of Zsolti's boys', Florian, joins us. Florian helps Zsolti give us a tour. Then helps Zsolti set up for his workshop. Just in meeting Florian, you can see the respect he has for Zsolti and KJ. As we meet other boys his age, I'm able to see the self respect Florian actually has for himself, just in the way he carries him and makes eye contact with us. This boy is going to be a leader someday. As he shadows Zsolti, I'm excited to see what God is going to do with this young man!
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