We’ve got some aaaamazing news! REMM's been generously provided a matching grant of $15,000 for an exciting new ministry of ours, #ProjectBlue!

Why #ProjectBlue?

The Roma (pejoratively known as “gypsies”) are Europe’s largest ethnic minority and are among the most discriminated, deprived, impoverished, and marginalized people to date. Consider these rates: 90% of Roma live under the poverty line. 75% are unemployed (self-reported). 80% of Roma students drop out in primary school. 50% of girls are married before 18. Over 80% of abandoned children in Romanian state care are Roma. 

We believe in order to stop these alarming rates among the Roma, specifically in the village of Budureasa, we need to start acting “upstream” rather than reacting to the problems. We’ve started an after-school program for Roma children AND now we’d like to provide steady employment for their parents. 

What is #ProjectBlue?  

Since we are uniquely placed in a land where blueberry patches are successfully grown + the Roma community in Budureasa are skilled in foraging berries/mushrooms . . . it makes sense to plant our own blueberry patches AND employ Roma for maintaining/harvesting the berries!

The Breakdown:

We’ve already got 1 hectare of land where we can fit 3,500 blueberry bushes. The total cost of starting + maintaining the first years of blueberry patches = $35,000. 

We’d like to plant these blueberry patches next year. There is year-round work of planting, plowing, fertilizing and pruning. Then comes harvesting the berries in only 2-3 years!

All profits from #ProjectBlue go back into sustaining other ministries, like our afterschool program! Join us to match the gift of $15,000 plus raise an additional $5,000! Thank you so very much!