Dece/Network - Sarah

Dece

Christian charity NetWorks runs dece, and they have been working alongside the poor in western Romania for over 10 years.

Dece clothing is life changing, and it embodies networks ethos "help people help themselves".

The products on sale are handmade by Romanian women (these women would been living in truly difficult circumstances). Dece teaches the women a skill so that they can work from home, they can make a living while taking care of their children.

Dece this works becuase the women don't need any former education or experience. Their wage can be the difference between having food, medicine and firewood for their families, or not. the women who have a trade have the opertunity to improve there lives.

Dece is not fair trade but it is fairly made, Dece is not a fair trade certified company for many reasons:
- Dece is based in Romania, which is not a third-world country.
- fairtrade aim to inprove trading standards, dece is creating a new trade. 



There is a simular prject going on in the US: http://www.sperantsa.com/home/



Network

The Christian charity NetWorks works with the poor in two wats, first helping with a families biggest problems, like hunger or sickness. then they try to support them in helping themselves.

they do not feel that aid is a long termsolution. Self-help projects are an investment in a family's future, helping them to escape poverty. 

Why Romania? Romania is a beautiful country with a rich history and culture.  In 2007, Romania became part of the European Union, but there are still many people living in incredible poverty.  Small mud houses with earth floors, no fresh water and no drainage. There are children with no clothes, and there are homes with no doors and plastic sheeting for roofs. Romania isn't a tropical country. Each winter temperatures drop to below minus 20 C. Young people have little hope for their future as they see old people living on pensions that won't even buy bread. Children live and work on the streets. Working Together to find a way forward, there are no simple solutions. We are an international, missionaries currently from Romania, England, Wales, Ireland, Sweden, Holland and the U.S.A.  Over the years, our team has been made up of people from Baptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Presbyterian, Anglican, Lutheran, Free Methodist and Greek Orthodox backgrounds. NetWorks is in the northwest corner of Romania.  We work in the west of Romania, near the border with Hungary. We work mainly in and around three communities: in the city of Arad, in the village of Şiria and in the villages surrounding Tauț.