Off Road Adventure Romania has been delivering packages with food and clothes in isolated villages for the holidays, for more than a decade. One week before both Christmas and Easter, the trucks gather and together we choose a destination where people need a chance for the better, and we head their way.
This year, we picked the western part of the country, where a few scattered settlements are in need of a Christmas miracle. We’ve come to understand that there are people for which living day to day is a tough thing and that there’s need for strong will and a continuous fight with nature. These are places where school for kids is a beautiful dream rather than the normality we’re used to.
It’s because of those 50 children and their parents that we set off towards Ramet, Alba, with 8 tons of items, in more than 30 trucks. After a long day of driving, we arrived in Alba, prepared to sort out the gifts. Children would receive backpacks with school supplies, while the parents from the 12 isolated settlements received one of the 440 large sacks with food.
Through the rough mountain roads, the cars filled with supplies encountered various problems, of which, the most noticeable was mud and nothing to winch against. In this situation, the villagers brought two bulls and tied them to the Mitsubishi L200 that was stuck in mud. The rudimentary method paid off, as it has for thousands of years, and the truck was set free and on its way. The convoy of 30 cars crossed creeks, mountain tops and muddy roads to reach the settlements. The most isolated houses and people were reached only by foot, since not even the best prepared in the group could go up the road – the team playing Santa Claus had to walk sometimes a few kilometers to be able to reach the house. People thanked us and were very happy that somebody visited them and gave them hope.
The 2011 Christmas Humanitarian action marks the 25th event organized by the off road club in its 12 years of activity. More than a decade of bringing smiles to people’s faces and lighting up their holidays.
Radu Tudoroiu
Radu Tudoroiu is a photographer and an editor for 4x4 Off Roads and other publications as well as an off-road enthusiast. Radu lives in Romania.
