Where are we involved - Mission to the Gypsies in Ukraine - Conditions of live

Fourty thousand Roms live in the Mukaczewo region in Ukrainie spread in several settlements. The biggest one is in Mukaczewio (4500 people). The smaller ones are on the edges of Ukrainian and Hungarian villages. They live in mud houses. Old people inhabit tiny rooms (2 m wide and 2 m long), the families stay in a bit larger rooms (4 m x 5 m). The families are usually very big. Sometimes there are a dozen or so children.

Most of them live in extreme poverty, not having any permanent job, without medical care and education.


Sanitary conditions
In most settlements there is no sewage system. After rain the streets turn into bog. There are very simple latrines which are often constructed near wells.


Literacy work
Many children do not attend schools. In some villages most of the adults are illiterate. They have problems to find any job. In summer most man travel to different parts of Ukraine looking for a job and only women and children remain in villages. However, even if a job is found, the Roms are often badly paid and taken advantage of by the employers.


Evangelistic work and the church planting ministry
The Gospel has been preach to the Roms for about twenty years. There are 20 churches among the Roms. Those who are converted want to live in an honest way. They stop drinking, stealing, getting involved in a witchcraft, adultary and other sins. They want to work and learn to read and write so that they can know the Bible better.

Help in education
In the villages where there are prayer houses BMA tries to help to start primary schools. In some settlements the teenagers and adults can also benefit from education. However, poeple who are not converted usually are not interested in education.