| by Pop Ciprian BUCHAREST, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- "We are extremely grateful to the Army for this wonderful initiative which made our children smile again," said Liliana Stefanet, a tutor accompanying a group of children from Romania's flood affected areas as they were invited to spend a short holiday at the seaside. Stefanet, whose home was also damaged by floods, said: "Although they are still fearful of what happened, my children are very happy with this short holiday. They no longer hoped that this year they would see the sea or the mountains." The heavy floods that began to hit Romania more than a month ago caused terrible damage to the people living in the eastern part of the country, as many families have lost what they had earned over years of hard work. A lot of people and institutions took part in relieve efforts as a sign of solidarity. On July 15, 20 children from the Suceava County, a northeastern region affected by floods, started the two-week vacation offered by the Ministry of Defense. The initiative came from Defense Minister Gabriel Oprea, after his discussion with local authorities and affected families during working visits to the village of Dornesti, where the Army has rebuilt a bridge over the river Suceava. As part of the Defense Ministry's actions to help flood-affected people, the soldiers have also donated household goods, clothing, water and food for the people in communities affected by swollen rivers. Some senators also came up with the initiative to bring the children from disaster areas to the seashore. Therefore, 90 children from the eastern and northeastern counties of Vaslui and Botosani, the most affected areas, will enjoy their vacations in the coastal cities of Constanta and Navodari until early August. "We took them on a visit to the Dolphinarium and enjoyed a bird's-eye view of the beaches from the telegondola (cable car), to make them forget a little bit of the trouble that awaits them at home," said the Senator Constantin Chirila. As an initiative of Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu, 75 children from disaster region spent their holiday in the Navodari camp. "It's hard for me to forget the great ordeal that my family, my little brother and I had to go through, but now I can build sand castles on this sunny beach," said 13-year-old Adrian from Vaslui County, who seemed to be really enjoying his stay in Navodari. The Education Ministry has offered free camps for the youngsters coming from affected areas through the National Youth Authority. Thus, between August and September, 1,033 children from the counties of Botosani, Iasi, Maramures, Neamt and Suceava, will be divided into 10 school camps all over the country. Meanwhile, another 180 children will participate in camps organized by the Interior Ministry. Romanian gendarmes and policemen have prepared for them entertainment programs including sports, arts, games, contests and sightseeing activities. Romania has been hit by unprecedented rainfall and floods since June, leaving dozens of people dead and forcing thousands more to leave their homes. Enditem | 
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