Project Ruth

Project Ruth was really the inspiration of three men, T. Thomas an American Missionary, Oti Bunaciu a Romanian Baptist Minister and Rev. Peter Williams a Free Church Minister, whose church is in Wollaston, Stourbridge. Many more people became involved in the Project but, most people will agree, these were the three key players.

Oti's Church is in Farentari, a poor suburb of Bucharest in Romania. Most of the people living there are Roma People, put there by the old Communist Regime. In 1992 T. Thomas challenged Oti to provide an education for the Roma children in the area, and so the Project began.

Initially as a Sunday School programme but soon evolving into a day centre where literacy classes were arranged after it was realised that most of the children could neither read nor write and had never been to school before.

Since many of these children were already approaching their early teens they had no chance whatsoever of enrolling in a regular school programme. The education system simply didn't recognise that an illiteracy problem existed. Anybody who failed to make it to school at the starting age of 7 years old, or within the following 2 years, had nowhere to go. There were no adult literacy classes and no educational recovery programs.

After a few years the literacy class was registered as a primary school and called the Ruth School.

The first school was based in an old former Communist meeting centre, which had earth floors with little or no sanitation, or electricity. There were about 12 students in the first year intake. Most of the teachers were untrained volunteers.

Due to the poverty in the area, children started to attend the school simply because of the hot meal offered. The Ruth School soon improved the educational provision through a basic curriculum and, in addition to the daily hot meal, simple medical care and training in hygiene was also provided.

The first purpose built school was opened about 2 years later but Ruth School soon grew out of that building and in 2006 the present school was officially opened.

It was in 1992 that Rotary Club of Bewdley heard about Project Ruth, and following a visit by a few members to Farentari decided to support the project. In 2005 several members of the Club went to see at first hand the school and view the construction of, what is now, the current school.

Today 228 students now study in a modern school, complete with a Computer Room, Medical Centre and a Library, with its own librarian. All the Teaching Staff are fully qualified. The school is identifying students with learning difficulties, and is taking steps to assist their training. The original School is now the Obed Centre and is working very well as a pre-school centre.

One thing of which I am particularly proud is that by the end of 2015 more than 1800 individuals in the Farentari area had been enrolled at the Medical centre, which was set up with money donated by the late Dave Bishop, a former member of the Rotary Club of Bewdley. 

Bewdley Club funds the education of four children (this was reduced to 3 children in 2018) and, in addition, several members make personal donations to support the education of a further ten children.

It has come a long way since we first became involved and the Project Ruth model is now being used to create new opportunities for education in countries outside of Romania.

You cannot help but be impressed.