Romanian truckers, carriers of diaspora solidarity

Today, some 5.7 million Romanians live scattered across Europe. Despite their lonely, uprooted daily lives, some Romanian truckers have managed to create a community of solidarity within this diaspora.

In the run-up to the 2019 European elections, a Romanian politician made some unflattering comments about the profession of lorry driver. “The guys insisted on teaching him a lesson”, recalls 56-year-old Adriana Muresan. (…)

So Muresan asked around some Romanian Facebook groups for people who might give them a lift. Plenty of volunteers were forthcoming. Muresan began to put the truck drivers in touch with these Romanians from the diaspora. A Facebook group was created. (…)

Five years later, that one-off initiative is now a mutual-aid group with more than 148,000 members: the RoOmenia Association Volunteers in Europe. It is where Romanians living abroad can lend each other a hand when they are in need. (….)

Muresan is often asked how she has managed to get so many people involved: “It’s easy, everyone has a place here and they do whatever they want to do. If animals are your thing, we have it. If you’re interested in medicines for children, we have that. If you want to go out at Christmas with some cakes for truck drivers who are alone in a car park, that’s possible too. Everyone can do whatever they want to do and are able to do”.

Muresan is currently taking permanent leave from her job on the road. But, despite her obvious organisational skills, she says that she has not been asked to go into politics. Nor would she do so. “I would lose my freedom”, she says. (…)

RoOmenia’s next campaign will target Romanian home-help workers. The plan is for volunteers who live nearby to meet them over a coffee and have a chat. “These people need to talk and speak in their language”, explains Adriana Muresan. “To heal their souls and their loneliness a bit.”

Source: voxeurop