Romanian villagers learn traditional crafts through EU funded courses

EU money covered the cost of a series of traditional artisan carpentry courses over the last two years in four Romanian counties, where men and women from rural areas learned how to use simple carpentry tools and make traditional designs. “The love for this craft is forever. Once you have it, it is hard to give up. It was also my case, and I am happy to teach others the secrets of artisan carpentry, so that the this traditional art is passed onto the next generations,” said Florin Cramariuc, an artisan from the Suceava area and trainer in the courses. In total, 400 people from rural areas in Valcea, Sibiu, Arges and Botosani counties were trained in four traditional crafts: artisan carpentry, wicker braiding, ceramic and glass icon painting. All the attendants also took IT and entrepreneurship classes, aiming to be better equipped to capitalize their skills and better sell their creations, slowly moving from an agriculture-revenues-only fueled lifestyle to other sources of income. Training was organized by the Dan Voiculescu foundation and co-financed via the European Social Fund, through the Human Resources Development Program. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Dan Voiculescu foundation)