Capital: Bucharest
Area: 237,500 km²
Population: 22.4 million(December 2000 est.)
Ethnic groups: Romanian (89.1%), Hungarian (8.9%), German(0.4%), Ukrainians, Serbs, Croats, Russians, Turks, Roma and Sinti
Official language(s): Romanian
Religion(s): Romanian Orthodox (70%), Roman Catholic (6%), Protestant (6%), other faiths (18%)
Currency: 1 Romanian leu = 100 bani
SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country
During the administration of Nicolae Ceausescu, which lasted for over 20 years, the social policies in Romania were catastrophic. This resulted in a major part of the population becoming very poor. The number of homeless and street children grew immensely. Children living in the state orphanages were malnourished, badly cared for and living in terrible hygienic conditions.
After this government was toppled in December 1989, SOS-Kinderdorf International was able to contact the relevant authorities and a government agreement on the construction of two SOS Children's Villages was signed on 1 June 1990.
Construction work on the two SOS Children's Villages in Bucharest and Cisnadie, a small town near Sibiu, started in October 1991. The first children were able to move into their new homes in the spring of 1993.
Shortly thereafter, SOS Children's Village Cisnadie was extended by an SOS Kindergarten and a holiday camp for both SOS Children's Village children and external children. Twelve SOS family houses are now in SOS Children's Village Cisnadie. More and more youths in SOS Children's Village Bucharest were reaching the age where they were ready to be prepared for living on their own. Therefore, three flats were bought to be used as an SOS Youth Facility in 1999. Two years later, four flats were bought to be used as SOS Youth Facility 2 Bucharest.
That year the so-called "Campimeciada" was introduced. This is a sort of Olympic event held between the two SOS Children's Villages. In the meantime, the two Bulgarian SOS Children's Villages also take part. This annual sporting event helps promote integration and understanding between the countries.
Because of the continuing poverty in Cisnadie, caused largely by the decline of the textile industry there, SOS Children's Villages Romania started a community outreach programs in March 2000 for the state schools and kindergartens, and shortly thereafter, the poorest families. This aid program provides support in the form of writing and cleaning equipment as well as food parcels.
The first youths moved out of SOS Children's Village Cisnadie and into the new youth house in Sibiu in the autumn of 2001. The Play-Mobile-Project started in Bucharest in the spring of 2002, with the aim of helping to keep the children off the streets. In 2003 the SOS Youth Facility Bucharest was extended by four more flats and at the end of 2004 another SOS Youth House was bought in Sibiu.
In spring 2006 SOS Children's Village Romania took over a children's village which was initially founded by a Dutch children charity organization. It is situated in Hemeiusi, near Bacau, and it is from now on the third SOS Children's Village. Four family houses are now in SOS Children's Village Hemeiusi and other two are in construction. Although one youth house was bought in 2008 in Bacau for the youngsters who were prepared for an independent and autonomous living.
As prevention of abandonment and poverty is a high priority of SOS Children's Villages Romania, family strengthening programmes were initiated on all three SOS Children's Village locations. These programs were developed in time and now they are called SOS Counseling and Support Centres for Children and Parents. The aim of these programs is to enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow within a caring family environment. To achieve this, SOS Children's Villages Romania works directly with families and communities to empower them to effectively protect and care for their children, in cooperation with local authorities and other service providers.
At present there are three SOS Children's Villages in Romania, three SOS Youth Facilities, two SOS Kindergartens and five SOS Social Centres.
Website of SOS Children's Villages Romania
(available in Romanian and English)