US Embassy donates USD 500,000 for medieval fortified church in Romania

The Embassy of the United States in Romania announced a donation of USD 500,000 to the Mihai Eminescu Trust, to support the restoration of the medieval fortified church of Alma Vii village, in Sibiu county.

The Embassy made the donation under the auspices of a special US Department of State program entitled the "Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation AFCP." This is the largest AFCP grant in the world awarded by the State Department this year.

Mihai Eminescu Trust (MET) is a Romanian NGO that has been working for nearly 20 years to restore buildings of historical importance and revitalize villages in the region. Caroline Fernolend manages the foundation.

“This is not just about a building, it's about investing in the community in Alma Vii. The reason why we are here today reflects the strength and the vision of the proposal made by the MET. This is an annual competition and this year, 2019, out of all the proposals from all the ambassadors and embassies, it was the project for the restoration of the church here in Alma Vii that obtained the most money in the entire world,” said the US Ambassador Hans Klemm.

(Photo source: Ro.usembassy.gov)