Romania's Forgotten

Rescuing the Abandoned

Romania | Romania's Forgotten

Following Ceausescu’s Dictatorship which ended in 1989 the world saw the plight of thousands of orphaned and neglected children. Orphans Aid became involved in 2004 through the establishment of our first home. The problems may not be as extreme as 1989 but the neglect and need for those children that live in Romanian hospitals and institutions are just as real. In some ways the need to help has become more urgent as many, including Romanians believe the problem has gone away. This is far from the truth. Poverty and abandonment of children is still a huge problem with little resources being provided to address the magnitude of the problem. The problem has now extended to another generation.

Rescuing the Abandoned

Our first project and largest commitment at present is a home for orphaned/abandoned children in Targu Mures Romania affectionately known as Casa Kiwi. The founders of Orphans Aid travelled to Romania in May 2004 to see this home established. The building and almost all of the project costs have been funded by Kiwis.

This home was featured on a TVOne documentary. The documentary showed the distress and neglect the children are living in when we take them mainly from hospitals where that have been left and place them in our home. Without intervention, the children, due to neglect, begin to show serious signs of distress and behavioural and development disorders. There are no other homes like ours in the region and we are providing a lifeline for children who are victims of their circumstances.

Casa Kiwi home not only houses orphaned children while we find long term solutions for them but it also oversees a foster programme, a programme to prevent children being abandoned which includes helping families with essentials such as food, heating and clothing. And also is the only foundation in Romania facilitating adoption to Romanian families. We have had the joy of seeing many children adopted into loving families within Romania. On our trips to Romania we have been able to visit and see children that we first met as infants now with their new parents!!

There are other foundations we have also assisted in Romania, but not on a regular basis. All of them have been supporting the care of orphaned children.

Orphans Aid is also actively pursuing ways to assist other kiwis, in seeing a home for disabled orphans in the city of Craiova established.

We’re very short of sponsors for these projects and welcome your regular help.