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One
of the Smiles Foundation’s important objectives is to encourage more
self-sufficiency in Romania. This not only creates initiative and
opportunity for the Romanians, but also creates employment and less
dependency on financial support from the Charity, allowing funds to be
diverted to the many projects awaiting and needing support. A project
to receive both capital support and expert advisory support in greater
self-sufficiency efforts is the
Gepiu Community Project. Director of Gepiu project Georgi
Opreanu and Smiles 100 Club Project Manager, Adi Matis
provide excellent spiritual and management support to the Gepiu Team of
6 which includes teachers for the 30 youngsters at the Children's Centre
each day in Educational support.
Every
day of the school term, the facility provides assistance with after
school classes for Grades 1-V111. Smiles also employs a full-time cook
for the Centre so the children can receive lunch following their morning
session at the State school and then get 3 hours extra tuition from our
team. 
The
Gepiu Senior's luncheon is a high-light, not only in Gepiu, but with
all Smiles staff and visitors who try to attend whenever luncheon is
served, initially once a month but now sponsorship has made twice a
month possible. Up to 25 seniors from the village attend with ages
ranging from 60 - 94. A great meal and good fellowship is enjoyed with
one of the Smiles Ministry Team speaking at each lunch attended by folks
of all denominations and some who don't go to church at all. 
Danute’s biggest
responsibility was to be developing the Farm, both livestock and the
planned horticultural development. Gepiu has had the pig-farm running
now for about 2 years. Significant success has been enjoyed with raising
many good sized pigs which have been
sold within the community. The pig farm is well established and now we
have chickens for both meat and eggs. 
Tomatoes,
Peppers and Cucumbers are grown in the Tunnels. Seeds are cultivated
for lettuce, radish, onion, peas, carrots, beans, cabbage and much more.
By 2009, the project was proving a great success. Gepiu’s
Horticultural project is supplying vegetable needs to its own Day
Centre in addition to the Mission Centre and Children’s Centre at Cihei
plus the Tileagd School and Nursery along with the Emergency Housing
Unit in Mirlou. Significant funds are budgeted every week for food
purchases within all Smiles projects. 
In
anticipation for the potential success of this project, Smiles purchased
an additional 7 hectares of Farm land which is being farmed regularly
with Corn, Maize and Sunflower. Subject to continued support, Smiles is
now looking at options to purchase a further 22 hectares for farming,
including a Dairy herd of 100 cows.