Sustaining Hope: Join Us in Raising $60,000 in 2025 to Sustain Operations
By Florina Darvell, President and Director of Maria Naomi
For years, Maria Naomi has quietly provided dignified jobs in rural Romania. Many of you have faithfully supported our family’s ministry—allowing us to serve children, disciple women, and create jobs for families in need. As we step into 2025, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment—one where the future of our artisans and the stability of our ministry depend on the generosity and faithfulness of those who believe in this work. If you’ve ever prayed for or given to support our family’s ministry, you’ve already been part of Maria Naomi. Now, we invite you to take the next step with us.
Our Nonprofit’s Path to Sustainability
At Maria Naomi, we believe in a Business-as-Mission Model—creating self-sustaining opportunities for women and families. That’s why we launched our sewing workshop in 2014, providing dignified jobs and skill development.
Now, we are working toward sustainability through Melissa’s, Maria Naomi’s clothing label. Our goal is for Melissa’s to fully fund the workshop within five years, providing stable employment for women in poverty.
But we aren’t there yet.
Until Melissa’s reaches full sustainability, we still rely on donations to bridge the gap. Every product sold moves us closer, but in 2025, we need to raise $60,000 to sustain operations and pay artisans fair wages.
Without this support, we will have to reduce work hours, impacting families who depend on this income.
You can help keep this mission strong.
This Week, Lives Changed Because of You
Let me share stories that demonstrate why we do what we do:
Widow struggling to keep warm now has firewood for the winter–Just today, Mark and the boys and I delivered firewood, food, and gas for cooking to a local elderly woman. Because people would steal what little she had, Mark and the boys helped bring it inside, protecting her and giving her peace.
Dozens of children give their hearts to Jesus—At our children’s program in a local village, we taught about the widow who gave her last two mites and the woman who anointed Jesus with perfume. We reminded them that God looks at the heart—and many of them prayed, asking God to help them love Jesus with sincerity.
15-year-old girl’s life changed with a pair of glasses– This week we helped a Romanian teen get her first pair of glasses for her birthday. Her eyesight was poor and affecting her performance in school, but her family could not afford eyeglasses. Through your support, we provided glasses and have begun visiting her. Since we started visiting her, we received word that the physical violence from a guardian in the home has stopped. I think knowing that someone cares about the teen’s well-being has changed the treatment of her. She’s so happy now—she can see, she can read, and she has a future that looks brighter than before.
Left: Mark and our boys chopped and stored firewood for an elderly widow to keep her warm in our frigid temperatures, Middle: Due to your generous support, we provided the widow with food from the local market. Right: This week, dozens of children gave their heart to Jesus during ministry where they heard the Gospel and made a craft for Valentine’s Day.
Why This Mission Must Continue
These stories aren’t just from past years. They happened this week. Today, we face a critical moment—without immediate support, we may have to reduce work hours for the very artisans who rely on the income provided through our programs.
This is why we can’t slow down. Your generosity isn’t just keeping a nonprofit running—it’s keeping families together, keeping families out of poverty through dignified work, and keeping the light of Christ shining in places that need it most.
Become a Monthly Partner at Maria Naomi
Your gift today ensures that women can continue working with dignity, families can be supported, and communities can thrive through the power of faith and sustainable employment.
Thank you for standing with us. Thank you for believing in this mission. And thank you for being part of this story—because it’s not just ours, it’s yours too.
