He said the church was trying to raise enough money to convert the building, connect a water supply and install a heating system.
"We’re totally reliant on fundraising and donations to make all this happen," he said. "Although we have been doing some fundraising activities at HCC, there is still a long way to go if we’re to have the centre open before this winter."
That's why the church has started its own foundation, called Gift of Love, that will channel donations to this community in desperate need, living in conditions found almost nowhere else in Europe.
Peter Lilley, MP for Hitchin and Harpenden and Chairman of the Conservatives’ Globalisation and Global Poverty Group, is a firm backer of HCC’s initiative.
"It’s shocking that such a scale of poverty and deprivation is so close to our door here in Europe. The work of HCC is undoubtedly a very beneficial step to making progress in Moldova," he said.
HCC already runs a variety of outreach initiatives across the community in Hitchin, such as an award-winning breakfast bar for schoolchildren, the Westmill Coffee Mill club for teenagers, and student counselling, but aid for the people of Risipeni is its most ambitious project by far.
“At HCC, we value community and care about people as a priority, helping those in need whether that is here or anywhere else in the world,” Summerfield adds. “We saw an opportunity to reach out to a small impoverished community in Moldova and grabbed it.”
On the web: For more information go to: www.hcc.org.uk/connect/go-global/moldova or to donate, contact Ian Milligan on 07988 003766 or by email at info@hcc.org.uk
