Women’s World Summit Foundation honors Romanian Geta Heredea, an extraordinary woman

Award given on United Nations’ recognized ‘World Rural Women’s Day’ Oct. 15

BUDAPEST, HFH regional headquarters (Oct. 13) – An extraordinary woman in Romania, Geta Heredea, has been honored by the prestigious international Women’s World Summit Foundation.
The “Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life” is awarded on the United Nations’ recognized “World Rural Women’s Day” on Oct. 15, and honors selected women from around the globe who make their rural communities a better place. Geta Heredea has worked with the international housing charity Habitat for Humanity not only to better the lives of her own family, but also those in her village of Mizies, Romania.
“Geta Heredea represents strength, courage, perseverance, and kindness. She has fostered hope in Mizies, and we are delighted she won this prestigious award!” says Adrian Ciorna, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity in Romania.
WWSF, a Swiss-based international organization with United Nations consultative status, awarded 20 women from Africa, Asia, Americas, Middle East, and Europe. Mrs. Heredea is one of only two winners in Europe.
Geta was born with a painful leg condition, which made working her factory job quite difficult. The daily walk to work, 4 km each way, became too painful once she became pregnant with their first child. She worked odd jobs in the village, where there is little economic opportunity, to try to help feed the family. They had no income to improve their living condition: a 25 m2, dilapidated one-room home, with no running water. Having heard about Habitat for Humanity, Geta made the arduous walk into the nearby town, Beius, where she applied for her family to become homeowners with Habitat, which offers a ‘hand up, not a hand out’. Habitat’s ‘sweat equity’ clause requires that homeowners not only pay mortgages – which are non-profit to Habitat – but that they also help build their own homes. So Mrs. Heredea and her husband – and other family and friends – grabbed some hammers, and began building. Mrs. Heredea – and her mother, and friends - also baked traditional Romanian sweet cakes for international volunteers who came to help build.
But she didn’t stop there. She and her husband donated land on their property, so that two more families could also become Habitat homeowners. Then she lobbied Habitat to build more homes in her village of 450 people. She succeeded. Eight of the 25 homes to be built in Mizies are already completed.
“She is an inspiration to us all,” says Ciorna.
Habitat for Humanity in Romania has built 145 homes with families in need since being established in 1996. Habitat is active in Beius, Cluj, Pitesti, Radauti, Comanesti, Craiova.
For more information about WWSF and the laureates, please visit www.woman.ch