The city is still surrounded by medieval ramparts and the winding streets are lined with old buildings . Unfortunately poverty abounds, especially among the Gypsy parents and their children who wander town in hopes of a job, or to beg for food. A large portion of our energy and time as a program and as individual volunteers is spent ministering to the Gypsy population in Sighisoara. These people have tremendous need as they daily face extreme poverty as well as intense racial prejudice and discrimination . Most of the orphans and abandoned children that our volunteers work with are Gypsy children .
Students come from the United States to study and serve in Romania for four months at a time.
Also, an integral part of the relief work has been the work of longer-term volunteers from America and Europe. They serve alongside the students, helping to build an ever growing team of Romanian staff . The relief work and educational programs offer a wide variety of opportunities not otherwise possible to the Romanians who still struggle with the residual effects of 45 years of communism. The majority of this work benefits children who spend most of their day on the streets. About 200 families receive financial, social, and spiritual support.