One of the many activities of ROMPRO Foundation is providing support in urgent social cases. This is done within the limits of volunteers' availability and using their own resources and the help of the community, without funding or subsidies. In the more than 5 years since we have been active (even long before we were officially established as a registered Foundation in the Netherlands) we have solved dozens of social aid cases, uniting around us those who wanted to help with each individual case.
Cases have varied:
- help in accidents or serious medical cases, some without medical insurance
- support with translation at hospital visits
- people made homeless and penniless by abuse
- support or redirection in the case of employer abuse (unpaid wages, denied sick leave, unjustified withholding of large sums
- urgent information (lawyers, translators, doctors, day and night shelters, transporters)
Currently the number of cases needing help and support has increased to alarming levels. There is no exact figure for the number of Romanian seasonal workers in the Netherlands, but their problems are reflected in the cases mentioned above. Seasonal workers are frequent victims of abuse, do not know an international language to understand or communicate and do not have the financial resources to survive during the period from the beginning of the contract until stabilization. They are often uninsured.
In the period December 2019 - February 2020 we had (in some moments 3-4 simultaneously) the following cases:
- 3 young people left homeless due to abuse
- 1 case (Zwolle) in 2019 which again required assistance in rescheduling payments due to the health system in the absence of insurance
- 1 accident in which a Romanian woman was immobilized and needed assistance, financial support and assistance in resolving the conflict with her employer (Boxtel case)
- a reported case of a labour dispute where the employer did not accept that the employee was provided with insured accommodation when he had more than one service (Sidhu case) and where a clarification from the employer and an extension of the housing release period was obtained
- a Romanian teenager in prison (Antonio case) whose sentence is unduly extended, this case required intensive contact with the mother, two visits to the correctional facility, discussions with the lawyer, the mentor and the therapists to make sure he gets the right treatment.
- the Tilburg case (need for medical assistance) where we provided the necessary money for doctor's visits and medicines and helped to find a new job and by paying the deposit - the Kross case where we supported with a necessary amount of money in the emergency situation of homelessness, food and where it was necessary to go to a shelter
- Kross case where we supported with a necessary amount of money in the emergency situation of homelessness, food and where it was necessary to go to a shelter.
In addition to these cases, which are running simultaneously, we have also intervened in the case of 18 Romanians brought in by an unauthorized intermediary and with a false profile, working with a private carrier. They were lured into a job and abandoned in the middle of Amsterdam with no financial reserves and returning home was an option that would have triggered a big financial crisis for their families due to the loans they had taken to come to the Netherlands. We were on the spot on Friday morning starting at 10 am and supported with information, food, transport, beds and whatever was needed to help them find a new job and accommodation. The large number of people in the group, the big housing shortage and the extra season on agriculture raised the level of difficulty and we refused to give up and let people sleep on the streets.
During the first 24 hours over 50 agencies and job seekers were contacted, the only option found was the possibility of cleaning work offered to all of them by a company owner in Amsterdam. With the help of Catalin G., a Romanian from Amsterdam and the whole community who contributed in various practical ways to the logistics complicated by the large number of people, luggage and lack of accommodation over the weekend we managed to get through the first week, we did not leave them in the cold and hungry and encouraged them to get on their feet and be independent and responsible, to do good work and know their rights.
We mention here contributions known to us in the conduct of this case:
- Catalin G.-offer of accommodation, food and intensive search for an employer for the 18 Romanians-substantial and decisive contribution in this case
- ROMPRO Foundation-general coordination and finding volunteers for urgent needs, transportation, food, discussions with Amsterdam Foundations that could facilitate access to shelters, booking of hostel for the second night, fundraising and payment of reservations.
- Tanya H. - coordination of volunteers transport/logistics
- They helped with cars: Marius, Ali, Roxana A., Embassy Work Attaché, Wesley/Stefan, Lucian P.
- Volunteers who walked with food and personal hygiene products or other necessities: Clara Ioana C. ( plus donation), Felicia, Ioana P., Mirela S. Liana J., Tatiana C., Alexandra P. and Nicolae D., Anamaria P., Daniela I. , George Emilian S.
- Donors: Virginia V., Emil P., Gina S., Diana P., Florentina T., Oana vd T. , Loredana M., Oxana G. , Raluca A., Claudia V. Ciprian C., Daniela I., Gina I., Stefana C., Clara C., AnaMariana U., Dana P., Andreea A.Andreea.
Thank you so much to those who donated and helped with this case! Donations received totalled 550 Euro. The sums have so far been used to cover expenses for:
- shopping/food 195,7
- hostel accommodation 304,18
- petrol and parking Amsterdam 24,70
Contacted by the 18 Romanians, the Romanian Embassy responded to the request for help with information and contacts from the day and night shelters in Amsterdam and was present on Friday evening in Amsterdam through the Labour Attaché Cornel G. He also offered support in transporting people to the hostel.
At the moment there are (hopefully) a few days left until all those in the group will have a stable situation and will stand on their own feet.Together with foundations, associations and people involved in community support we have created a working group that will ask the Romanian and the Dutch state for active involvement and concrete support in the issue of seasonal workers. We as a civil society can support but we cannot be the only ones to act concretely in these cases.
We will keep you updated with our activities, follow us on our facebook page ROMPRO and facebook group Friends of ROMPRO Romanians For Romanians Foundation where we always post when we have a new social case and need community support.
