Updates–2025

Link to the Day Centre 2025 gallery here

October 2025 – The new school year is now underway and got off to a good start with some local help.
Last month some volunteers came from a local business to paint the Centre, do activities with the children and bring much needed school supply equipped backpacks!  When volunteers come from local businesses, it's a real boost for the children to see people in the greater community interested in them. But it is us who pay salaries and keep the Centre going.
More to come in the upcoming newsletter!

July 2025 – At the end of the school year a foundation came to celebrate the children with an inflatable slide, something which some children had not seen before. They had to be held by the hand going up, they were so frightened, but it didn't take long until they were having the time of their lives. It's so good seeing others wanting to help our children, though we are the only ones actually paying to keep the Centre going, with salaries and expenses.
There is a lot to celebrate about our children. The younger ones have worked so hard to learn, do their homework and keep up. The children in grade 8 are going to high school each with their dream. Moise wants to be a cook. He helps in the Centre kitchen and is happy when the rice doesn't stick to the pot, and he carefully adds salt saying "just like the restaurant"! Larisa is going into the hospitality field, her dream is to "learn good manners and work in a nice place with happy people". Sergiu, who is passionate about anything with wheels and a motor, is going to study mechanics. Already he is the "little repairman" of the Centre. Cristi is a quiet and understanding boy who will study carpentry. He already has plans to have his own workshop one day and make "tables, chairs and hope".
But our greatest joy is in Izabela and Cristina who have now finished vocational school, and say they want to go further! Izabela wants to become a nurse and Cristina wants to work with children. We will support these girls because since grade 5 they have been serious, hard-working and determined, even when it was very hard for them.
For our staff this is a victory, not only for the girls but for the whole community. It is proof that girls can dream and go further, (not just marry young and have babies because there's nothing else to do) that they can break the cycle of helplessness and build something else with dignity, books and courage.
In the Photo Gallery please see some pictures of the children having end-of-school-year fun, and preparing fruit and vegetables for the winter, a necessary summer activity.

May 2025 – Our children have had a good spring with interesting activities. The mayor of the town gave our Centre some land, and a company donated 300 fruit trees! Planting the trees was a good learning experience for the children, and it will be a lesson in patience and responsibility to wait a couple of years for there to be fruit.
At Easter the children were visited by some people from a church who played soccer and basketball with them, and talked about the significance of Easter. The food bank in the city which gives yogurt to the Centre children and has set up composting at the Centre, made a cheerful, bright green covering for the walls. And then there was the fun of Easter egg painting!
In March our social workers took some children to an IT workshop in the city where they received affection alongside the IT instruction. They felt so special and happy, things that apart from experiencing at our Centre, they rarely feel. The children wrote on t-shirts which started with "And I can be...." they wrote "organized, happy, hardworking, sociable, ambitious and talented."
Gabi wants to help people and change lives and can hardly wait to work to escape the poverty at home. Luca has dreams to become an architect and to build things to make life easier for others. Darius, who is passionate about IT, wants to become a programmer. Cristi and his brother, although more withdrawn, have a burning desire to learn and overcome the difficulties which stand in their way.
It's wonderful to see our children with dreams, and we are so grateful for any and all help offered!

January 2025 – Our Romanian children had a wonderful Christmas celebration, with so much joy on receiving even the simplest of gifts. When Adina opened her box of markers she had a look of shocked happiness on her face, and she was happy for days. Cristi had dreamed all year of having a soccer ball and when his dream come true he jumped for joy.
Sixty children and their younger siblings at home received simple gifts, and they were like treasures to them. They also received larger presents from a community charity. For the children, gifts are not just objects but proof of love and hope. Receiving these are priceless moments which leave lasting impressions.
When our social workers took clothes and school supplies in order for their 2 children to keep going to kindergarten, Emil and Mirabela were hugely relieved and had hope for some normalcy. When this very poor family was visited as well at Christmas, their 6 year old daughter hugged her new warm clothes! Their 7 year old son was thrilled at the toy he received. Our help was more than just material aid for Emil and Mirabela, it was an indescribable comfort to know they were not alone in their fight for a better future.
Dorina is a widow of a year, and being unsupported fell into poverty. She is raising her almost blind 18 year old daughter Anca who needs a lot of care. Our social workers helped Dorina get to government offices and navigate the long and complicated bureaucratic process of getting disability assistance for Anca. This helped her escape the extreme poverty they were in. Having no one to help her, Dorina was overwhelmed by hardship, and thankful beyond words for our help.
Twelve year old Marian from an extremely poor family, went through a devastating loss when his mother and grandfather died within a few months of each other. Our social workers helped the family with the funerals and with social assistance so that Marian could remain in school and the family could eat.
Twelve year old Silviu has a bone disease and because of the pain spends a lot of time in bed. He wanted to continue his schooling though so our social workers set him up to be able to learn online. His teachers stop by periodically to support him in his education. Our social workers also got Silviu medical treatments to alleviate his pain.
Samir is 1 of 3 boys being raised by a single mother whose husband left them. Samir had an accident when he was small which resulted in a serious vision problem. We provided him with an eye operation, and with monthly food assistance Samir has a chance at a normal life and his family can eat.
Bujor comes from a large family whose weak mother couldn't put food on the table and the family was continually in crisis. We provided food and clothes, and got social assistance for them. Now the family survives.