Romania: House of Hope Children's Home

ROMANIA HOME

LOCATION

Romania is located in southeastern Europe. It borders Hungary, Serbia, the Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Black Sea, and Moldova. The Children’s Home is located in the village of Dobrun in southern Romania.

BACKGROUND

The vision for the Romania Children’s Home came from a young Romanian woman, Camelia Cismaru, who had spent some time in the local government orphanages. She had a burden from God to help the children in her country. Camelia contacted a friend and they began to pray. In 1999, the Lord directed them to Kids Alive® International for help. The Home received its first four babies in 1999, and is now caring for ten children aged between 6 and 10 years. 

FACILITIES

For the first three years, the four babies lived in Camelia’s family home. In 2001, construction was started on a permanent and larger facility for the children’s home and two more children were brought into the home. In 2002, the six children moved to the new home and four more children were brought in from a government orphanage. Two of the apartments (floors) are now finished and are home to the ten children and house parents, providing a caring, family-style atmosphere.

PROGRAMS

Children in Romania are in crisis for a variety of reasons: poverty, illness or death of a close relative, abandonment, and very difficult home situations. The “House of Hope” seeks to take in children who would otherwise spend years in a government orphanage or be placed with multiple foster families, rather than those who are likely to be adopted. Our goal is to provide for the children’s physical, emotional, social, academic and spiritual needs. Kids Alive Romania is committed to providing long-term care – to see each child that grows up in the Home become an independent, responsible, well-trained citizen able to serve her own country and be a role model in Romanian society. 

FUTURE
Future plans include:

• Accepting two  additional children into the Home;
• Creating an area where the younger children can play safely, and adding a sports/ athletic area for the older children.