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School helps Romanian children connect with roots

Leanne Brown
BBC News
BBC The blue, yellow and red of the Romanian flag can be seen in the foreground with children sitting around a desk in the background. BBC
The classrom in Hull is decorated with Romanian flags and maps

A Sunday school is helping Romanian children reconnect with their heritage, as many have grown up speaking only English and have never visited Romania.

More than 30 children attend the weekly classes in Hull where they learn about Romanian language, history and traditions.

The classroom, at the Lonsdale Community Centre, is decorated with Romanian flags and maps.

Organiser Andreea Salvage said the school gave the children "a sense of belonging".

Andreea Salvage, the organiser of the Sunday school, is looking at the camera. She has black hair tied in a ponytail and is wearing a blue t-shirt with a heart on the front. One half of the heart is the UK flag. The other half is the Romanian flag.
Andreea Salvage runs the Sunday school and focuses on a different theme each week

"We are now at the second generation of migrant children," she said.

"I think it's important to teach them to understand what Romania is because, for them, it is something totally foreign."

According to the 2021 Census, Hull's Romanian population was 3,602.

Ms Salvage, who moved to the UK from Romania in 2007, said she thinks the number has increased significantly since then.

She said each school session focussed on a topic such as Romanian history or national holidays.

"We try to do themes for each week," she said.

"For example, last week we had an election. We had an election here in the UK, and we had an election for the Romanian presidential election.

"If it's something that we celebrate at home, we'll try to give that as a main activity, as the main theme. If not, we look at geography, history, language, tradition and so on."

A nine-year-old girl is smiling and looking towards the camera. She has brown hair and a blue t-shirt.
Nine-year-old Angelina says she is practicing the Romanian language at home

Nine-year-old Angelina is among the children who attend the sessions.

"We do some fun activities and we do learn some new stuff in Romanian," she said.

"Me and my mum play this game where she has to say in English and I have to say in Romanian."

A woman and her four-year-old daughter are looking staright to the camera. The little girl is smiling and has a sandwich in her hand.
Mirela Popesceo attends the sessions with her daughter Emma-Maria

Mirela Popesceo moved to the UK in 2018 and takes her two children to the school including four-year-old Emma-Maria.

"She barely speaks Romanian to be honest," she said.

"We are trying to speak with her at home, but she has been at nursery since she was one, so her language is more English than our native language.

"We would like her to learn Romanian because, when we are going on holiday to see the relatives and the grandparents, it would be nice for her to understand a little bit."

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