caritasin Romania

compassionsolidarityhope

FOREWORDRev. Nicolae Anușcă, President of Caritas Confederation Romania Doina Crângașu, Manager of Caritas Confederation Romania

WhO WE aRE Mission Vision Caritas in Romania Caritas Values

Out OF gRatituDE FOR all FamiliEsPsycho-social support Material support Daily meals at Caritas social canteens Social homes for young families on low incomes Medications and medical assistance

Out OF lOvE FOR chilDREn anD yOuthHow we support and guide them Guidance for the future Anti-drug Counseling and Education

Out OF REspEct FOR thE ElDERlyHome care Day Centers Alms Houses Motor Competence Centers

Out OF cOmpassiOn FOR thOsE With spEcial nEEDsAssistance and Counseling Centers for Persons with Special Needs Day centers for children with special needs Neuromotor Rehabilitation Center Early Intervention Center for children with Down Syndrome Rehabilitation Centers Centers for integration through occupational therapy Protected workshop

Out OF caRE FOR thOsE WhO suFFERNight Shelter for the homeless Palliative Care Center

Out OF sOliDaRity With thOsE aFFEctED by calamitiEs Prevention and reduction of disaster risks Intervention in calamity stricken communities Training programs - Emergency situations psycho-social support

bEcausE WE bEliEvE in a bEttER FutuRECaritas School Socio-professional Insertion Centers Counseling and training for rural development

OnE milliOn staRs natiOnal campaign

cOmpassiOn in actiOn – caRitas vOluntEERs Actions with and for volunteerscaRitas cOnFEDERatiOn ROmania in thE intERnatiOnal sOliDaRity nEtWORks

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As Representative of The Holly Father Benedict the 16th in Romania, I am addressing a whole-hearted greeting to all the people of this noble country who share Caritas mission in Romania.

All the goodwill work that Caritas Romania has been carrying out for the benefit of the Poor and the marginalized people is utterly important and permanently in need of generous souls willing to help as many people as needed: the poor, the elderly, the children, the disabled.Catholic Church in Romania has always affirmed and manifested a deep love for the poorest people, guided by the words that we can read in the Saint John’s First Letter: “Whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” The charitable mission in Romania could not be possible without the intervention of the Good Samarithans willing to help people in need.We cannot surrender to poverty, but try to find a cure. Mahatma Ghandi said that to a hungry man, a piece of bread is the face of God. The world economic, food and financial crisis mostly affects the Poor. Let us all do what it takes to keep the faith in the miracle of a world without starvation.All charity works must lead us towards Jesus Christ. From Him we receive the Gift of Love that renews our souls as Christians. Therefore, we engage in actions against poverty and become the messengers of the Love of God, as it has been so beautifully described by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in his first Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est.

In his name, I bestow the Apostolic Blessing on all the readers of this brochure, as a pledge of divine grace.

Monsenior Francisco-Javier LozanoApostolic Nuncio to Romania

The messengers of god’s love

Projects MapCaritas in Romania

legend caRitas cOnFEDERatiOn ROmania mEmbER ORganizatiOns www.caritas.org.ro

caritas archdiocesan alba iuliaWith projects in Hunedoara, Alba, Cluj, Bistrița Năsăud, Harghita, Mureș, Sibiu, Brașov, Covasna www.caritas-ab.ro

caritas association bucharestWith projects in, Tulcea, Dambovița, Călărași, Prahova, Oltwww.caritasbucuresti.org

caritas Diocesan center iașiWith projects in Iași, Suceava, Neamț, Bacăuwww.caritas-iasi.ro

caritas catholic OradeaWith projects in Bihorwww.caritascatolica-oradea.ro

caritas Federation of timișoara Diocese With projects in Timiș, Caraș Severinwww.federatia-caritas.ro

caritas Organisation satu mareWith projects in Maramureș, Satu Marewww.caritas-satumare.org

caritas greek-catholic metropolitan association satu mareWith projects in Alba, Brașov, Sibiu, Mureșwww.caritas-blaj.ro

caritas greek-catholic Eparchial clujWith projects in Cluj, Bistrița Năsăudwww.caritas-cluj.ro

caritas greek-catholic Diocesan association maramureşWith projects in Maramureș

caritas Eparchial association OradeaWith projects in Bihor, Sălajwww.caritaseparhial.ro

Caritas Confederation Romania Member Organizations

Romanian Districts covered by Caritas projects

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115.000 beneficiaries 1300 employees 1100 volunteers în 450 towns from 25 counties

Caritas in Romania is a real story told by Caritas employees and volunteers day after day along with the tens of thousands of beneficiaries that they support and assist: the children, the elderly, the disadvantaged families. It is a story that begins with pain, forgetfulness, sadness, poverty and ends with hope, joy of living in dignity, responsibility for our fellow people’s well-being and authentic solidarity gestures.We invite you to read this presentation of Caritas activity in Romania and you will find a trustful and responsible partner with an experience as social service provider that goes back over twenty years and an active presence in hundreds of urban and rural disadvantaged Romanian localities. Beyond the facts and figures presented here, there are all the people that we serve with so much professionalism and devotion, in accordance to the life quality standards and ensuring that our investment generates durable results. Nothing is possible just by oneself. Therefore, our cooperation with the Church, the partnerships with the pub-lic local authorities, the private sector and other organizations of the civil society as well as Caritas Europa and Caritas Internationalis networking add value to our intervention in disadvantaged communities. We thank all those who have supported us and continue to do so in these times of global crisis. Yet, many of our projets’ vulnerable target groups need further financial aid. This is the reason why we are constantly in search of new supporters and partners willing to join our humanitarian causes as donors and volunteers.Financial and economic crises come and go. And sometimes they come back and go again. But what remains is the love for our fellow people expressed through attention, care, generosity, humanity.

ForewordDoina crângașu, Executive Manager Caritas Confederation Romania

nothing is possible just by oneself

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Rev. nicolae anușcă, President Caritas Confederation Romania

The suffering of our fellows drives and motivates us

The dignity of every human person, the most precious asset one can possess, must be assumed, defended and promoted by authentic worship regardless our condition or the culture we live in.The social work of the Church is a testimony to the world that all its actions have real and meaningful results and that the human beings are always the center if its concern.Caritas Romania is the practical expression of the mission that the Catholic Church and the Faithful have assumed in the Romanian society through dedication, consistency and professionalism.Caritas helps the Poor, relieves the sick, cares for the marginalized, supports those without food, clothing or shelter, teaches the youth and guides the undecided.Our faith strengthens our attitude, but the suffering and the condition of the vulnerable and the excluded motivates us and drives our work. Faith also strengthens our belief that we must continue and develop this unprecedented patrimony that Caritas has been building for the last twenty years in Romania.We can say without doubt that Caritas Romania enjoys a strong and effective partnership with State Authorities and other non-govern-mental organizations. Last but not least, Caritas Romania assumes the role of community facilitator by means of awareness and informative campaigns.Everything that we do is our way of making people understand that this is world is our Home and we are all one human family.

caritas missionInspired from the Catholic Social Learning, the Caritas Organizations’ mission is supporting the Poor and the socially isolated people to manifest themselves and regain the right to a decent life by means of complex social assistance programs and charitable and humanitarian actions.

caritas visionCreating a civilization of love and solidarity among people.

caritas in RomaniaThe 10 Caritas organizations active in Romania were reunited in 1994 in a national network: Caritas Confederation Romania. The Confederation has been created in order to promote its members’ social projects and contribute to lobby actions that could influence social policies both on national and international level. All Caritas organizations in Romania have partnerships with local authorities and provide social service to disadvantaged children at risk, people with special needs, elderly, families with multiple children, on a low income.The complex programmes that are carried out by Caritas Ro-mania in the field of social service answer the needs of 70 000 beneficiaries, of which 15 000 are elderly and people with disabilities who receive home care.

“People’s development depends on acknowledging the fact that human race is one big family working together.”Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 53

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Caritas ValuesCompassionWe cannot be indifferent to our fellow brothers’ suffering, therefore we unite our efforts in order to provide them comfort and relief.hOpEInspired by our Christian faith, by the support and generosity of our partners and the people that we serve, we know that hope is not passive. We trust that only by working together we can build a better world where each and every human being can enjoy life.Equal RightsWe believe in each and every person’s intrinsic dignity regardless of race, gender, age, nationality, religion or political views.justicEWe work together in order to conquer poverty and injustice and to support the development of a society that is just and united.

sOliDaRityWe make an appeal to solidarity with all the Poor, because we understand that there is one big interdependent human family and no one can be really happy just by oneself.paRtEnERship We support the principle of subsidiarity that creates connections in and between communities and we acknowledge the fact that in order to receive we need to give. stEWaRDshipWe believe that Earth and all its resources are the result of Crea-tion, therefore we are responsible to keep this Earth clean and hand it over, in as good a state as possible, to the next generations.

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for allout of gratitude

familiesW e understand and support the importance of the family in the development and social

integration of every individual. We also understand the serious negative impact of family abandonment, social isolation and acute lack of material means for a decent standard of living. Therefore, Caritas carries out several projects meant to support disadvantaged families at risk.

Psycho-social supportThis kind of support is meant to help people regain their human dignity and to accompany disadvantaged people throughout this critical period of their life (poverty, isolation, disease) until they are progressively freed from the causes that have determined them to ask for help. And we do this also by involving the efforts of the community in the transformation of the individuals.They need our help:

Disadvantaged parents whose children are at risk of being separated from their family

Monoparental familiesFamilies on low incomesJobless parents of multiple children

The support that we provide:

Individual and group psycho-social counselingAcess to medical assistance, facilitating access to social and cultural serviceRepresenting the beneficiaries in dealing with lo-cal authorities in order to benefit from their rightsCounseling and providing information to families living in socially disadvantaged regionsGuiding and supporting the parents of children with special needsEducational activities in order to support and sustain mental health Organizing activities with and dedicated to families, linked to communities’ special events

60 000 from families at risk have benefited from

Caritas projects every year

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persons

material supportBesides specialized social assistance, our social centers also offer material support (food, clothing, hygiene and sanitary materials) to those who need it most:

Families on low incomes, homeless familiesJobless parents with minor childrenRroma familiesMonoparental familiesThe ElderlyCare providers for people with cancer or other physical or mental disordersParents and relatives of alcohol dependantsFamilies with multiple children

Convicts and their families Families, children, students included in other Caritas projects, the elderly from Caritas almshouses

Restituirea demnitatii umane si acompanierea persoanei aflate într-o perioada dificila din via-

35 400

from poor families have received

material support from Caritas social centers

persons

The wealth that we share with our fellow people is the only wealth that we shall never lose.

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families

Daily meals at caritas social canteensMore than 500 people who cannot ensure the daily meals for themselves as well as for their families are the beneficiaries of the Caritas social can-teens. They are elderly, people with special needs, families with multiple children, homeless, immigrants, rroma people. Caritas gives them a warm meal every day. For those who are disabled, Caritas also has “canteens on wheels”, bringing food and serving it at their own homes.

Do not be scared when you advance in slowly motion. Be afraid when you stop.

caritas

takes permanent actions in order to

develop new partnerships to

financially sustain the present and future

humanitarian projects.

social homes for young families on low incomesThe main purpose of the Don Antonio Rossi social home project (Chinteni, Cluj) is to offer the right to a normal life to young families with children who cannot afford a home of their own, given the actual social and economical context.Part of the money that have made this project pos-sible has come from donations made by retired Ital-ians and other people on modest incomes who have shown solidarity with our humanitarian cause.

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Medications and medical assistance10 800 disadvantaged Romanians benefit from Caritas social drug stores and consulting rooms. The social drug stores have been among the first projects started by Caritas in Romania, animated by the spirit of social solidarity.

They need our medical support:Families on low incomes, monoparental familiesPersons with special needsJobless parents with minor childrenOrphan children from other Caritas projects (boarding schools, social centers)Rroma families, families with multiple childrenVarious educational institutions or social-medical support groups (almshouses, schools, kindergartens, associations, foundations).

impORtant! The medicines are distributed at a very low cost or no cost at all, regardless any ethnic or religious criteria. This project not only justifies its existence but also claims its right to be the first on the social priorities list. Caritas social drug stores have been functioning due to the generous support of local and external donors. Therefore, they further need all the financial support and medical donations that they can get.

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for ourOut of love children and youth

They need our help:Children and youth coming from families at financial and social riskChildren from monoparental familiesChildren whose parents have left abroadChildren with disabilities or behavioral disordersStudents at risk of school abandonmentRroma children coming from families on very low incomesChildren from socially disadvantaged regions

how we support and guide them:Day centers and kindergartens providing supervision, daily meals, psycho-social counseling and educational guidanceSupport groups for children, youth, their parentsAfterschool programsEducational camps and caravans for children coming from rural areasBoarding schools, transit centers for post-institutionalized youthDistance adoption programs (sponsorship)Psycho-social counseling at Caritas anti-drug centers, guiding of the beneficiaries towards specialized medical servicesSocial and professional training centers

15 000children and youth

from all over the country have

benefited from Caritas projects.

All grown-ups were once children, but very few of them still remember.

Respecting and defending the rights of each and every children and youth. For this purpose, Caritas has been carrying out projects the beneficiaries of which are the less fortunate future adults of Romania.

We aim at helping them improve the quality of their lives and their capacity to lead an autonomous life

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guidance for the future

caritas promotes the

principle of equal life chances for each and every

child, cooperating with the local and

national authorities

childrenandyouth

Caritas understands how important it is to help children coming from disadvantaged families and regions to embetter their lives and moreover to prepare for a successful future.Therefore, many of our projects aim at supporting children’s education and improving their chances to have a responsible and autonomous adult life. As the sole guidance directed towards the children would not be effective by itself, we always encourage parents to become active participants to the projects directed towards their children. We are much aware of the importance of the family in building a successful future for their children.

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Drug use and abuse is one of the causes of school drop-out and juvenile delinquence. A long-term consequence would mean social and professional failure in adulthood and for that reason Caritas has been unfolding a series of anti-drug educational programs.

anti-drug counseling and Education

They need our guidance:Children and youth who use drugs or alcohol and wish to give up their dependenciesChildren affected by the behavior of their par-ents who are drug usersYouth who have drug addicted friends and wish to help themDrug dependents who need guidance and sup-port in order to get specialized health care

What we have to offer:Individual and group social, psychological and juridical counselingInformative campaigns in schools and universities on drug abuse risksLeisure time activities promoting a healthy lifestyle

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Best teachers have this concern: teaching their

students to manage without them.

home careIn order to maintain the autonomy of the elderly affected by chronic diseases and prevent their dependency situation from aggravating, Caritas home care teams offer specialized assistance to disabled persons in 360 Romanian cities.We make sure that the beneficiaries’ family members have access to information and that they are actively involved in the assistance process.Home care also targets an increase in the re-sponsibilization not only of the family members but also the local communities and the stake-holders in the field of social assistance.

They need our support:

Elderly on a very low income or whose families cannot ensure decent living for them, support and specialized care and assistance.

Elderly that are bedridden or cannot leave their homes.

Isolated elderly in a temporary or long-term dependence situation.

Persons with acute or chronic illnesses and a certain level of dependence, who can hardly go to a hospital in order to receive proper care as recommended.

forout of respect

the eldery

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The elderly in Romania often face social, economic and health problemes. Isolation, feelings of worthlessness, lack of information, low income after retirement, illness, incapacity ... Theseare all warning signs that Caritas solves through projects that support the elderly.

We offer them:

Specialized and basic home care (personal hygiene, help with dressing, undressing, mobilization, walks, communication)Domestic help: cooking, cleaning, shopping, help with trav-elling (in using common transportation or providing special transportation), paying the bills, etc.

Recovery and rehabilitation services that are linked to the medical field.

Cooperation with different organizations in order to inte-grate and coordinate the help that is offered to those in need.

Material support Asistance and support for an independent life

impORtant!Home care service is intended to help the elderly reintegrate more easily in the social life of their community by becoming more aware of their own capacities.One of our main aims is to avoid institutionalization of the elderly in need of permanent care by means of supporting their families to become increasingly responsible for them and act consequently.

15 500

are provided home-care

services by Caritas specialized teams

throughout the year

persons

The future of your nation begins with the respect that you show to the elderly.

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Alms HousesThe beneficiaries are the elderly that are ill, poor, isolated or abandoned by their families. Our alms houses offer them the medical and social support that they need in order to overcome the problems that are specific to their age and remain active as long as possible.

Our alms houses provide:

Basic care: accommodation in double or triple rooms, cooking and serving daily meals, attending mass and other religious activitiesComplete care: help in personal hygiene, dressing, eatingA clean environment, mobilization, leisure time activitiesMedical assistance: permanent monitoring, specialized therapist

Day centersThese centers are destined to retirees who become isolated from their families and acquaintances as well as the motor disabled. Here, they can form communities, make friends, take part in activities that are meant to transform these retirees in active members of the society once again.

Our daily help:

Counseling and individual support Group activities: cultural programs, trips

Medical gymnastics, rehabilitation exercises Transportation of the disabled to the centers

Resocialization activities for the elderlyVisits to the beneficiaries that are temporarily hospitalized or receiving homecareErgotherapy activities

the elderly

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25 000

elderly and disabledpeople

havewere included

in Caritas projectsin one year

Motor Competence Centers

The main principle of the motor competence centers is to develop motor capacities of the elderly and the motor-disabled through kinesthetics. Thus, we can improve their life quality and their chances to become socially integrated. The beneficiaries are the elderly as well as disabled children or adults.

They take part in group counseling programs to prevent social isolation

Ergotherapy activities (handmade products)Psycho-pedagogical and religious programsRehabilitation programs through kinestheticsTransportation for the elderly and the motor-disabled

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for those with out of compassion

Who benefits from our projects:

Permanently disabled persons who have no legal attendant but have medical recommendation for home careMentally disabled children, children with Down Syndrome, Autistic childrenPhysically or mentally disabled persons on very low incomesFamilies of physically or mentally disabled children

assistance and counseling centers for persons with special needs

We offer qualified social assistance, information and counseling to persons with special needs and their

We believe that the problems of those with special needs cannot be solved primarily by institutionalization. These institutions create a closed system not very different from the

family claustration. These systems contribute as much to their social isolation. We consider that their integration in the life of the community is highly necessary and we provide them conditions that ease their access to a normal life within their community.

special needs

families or legal tutors. Actions that promote the interests of the disabled, lobby, advocacy campaignsSocial integration of the disabled: informative and public awareness campaigns, activities with and for disabled persons, specialized classes for the disabled children’s parentsKinetotherapeutic recovery provided by therapists and voluntary students specialized in Kinetotherapy and Special Motricity (Caritas also organizes accredited training classes for kinetotherapists).Social clubMedical assistance, providing sanitary supplies and various medical devices

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Logopedy and ergotherapy Medical assistance for infants and toddlers (0-3 year olds) with developmental delayTherapeutic massage, medical gymnasticsLeisure time activities, different activities and events that help build a bridge between disabled and healthy youth

Day centers for children with special needs

Day centers for children with special needsEducational programs for disabled children from socially disadvantaged families in order to prevent their separation from their parentsLeisure time activities and animation programsSpecific medical rehabilitation activities depen- ding on the age and disability of each beneficiaryProviding school supplies, didactic tools, mate-rial support according to their individual needs

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familii

3%of the Romanian new-born babies

need lifelong special assistance due to infirmities.

Neuromotor Rehabilitatio-CenterRecovery and rehabilitation services, language therapy, ludotherapy, psychomotor therapy and manual ability, developing personal autonomy (hygiene, self-care), ergotherapy, art therapyRecreational, educational and socialization activities, actions aiming to develop the social networkAssistance and support for the disabled persons’ families, social mediation

persons with special needs

impORtant!In order to increase the chances of children with special needs to become socially integrated, Caritas stresses on their involvement in sports and cultural activities, demonstrative shows together with children without deficiencies.

Early Intervention Center for children with Down Syndrome

Recovery and rehabilitation services, logopedy, kinetotherapy, occupa-tional therapy, counseling, support groups, leisure time activities

Rehabilitation centerAddresses children with special needs aged between 0-7 as well as their familiesSevices are conducted by a pluridisciplinary team made of specialists: pediatrician, neuropsychiatrist, psychologist, kinetotherapist, psychopedagogue, logopedist, social assistantEarly diagnosis for children with developmental disorders or physically handicapedComplex early intervention ambulatory activities and psychopedagogical assistance

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centers for integration through occupational therapy

These centers aim at facilitating access and participation of the disabled youth to the social-cultural life of their local communitySocial medical care servicesPrimary care social servicesSpecialized social services: occupational rehabilitation, assistance and support

protected Workshops Exclusively destined to persons with disabilitiesAlong with a decent income, the fact that they are employed has a strong positive impact on their physical and emotional state.

Always struggle to overcome yourself. It’s the only way to make the others do the same.

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forout of care

the Suffering

Night Shelter for the homelesshere we provide primary services to the homeless

Warm DinnerCounseling in view of obtaining identity cards and various legal rightsInformative support concerning different services offered by public or private institutions; guiding the beneficiaries to other specialized institutionsSupport and orientation order to professionally integrate, readjust and rehabilitate the beneficiaries

Support and assistance for the families and children in difficult situations and also for the homeless elderly

There are too many homeless, people living in poor conditions, in improvised shelters. They have no medical support, psychological or social care. Caritas supports them through night shelters but also

care centers where they receive a warm meal. For those who suffer from incurable diseases, the palliative care centers bring specialized medical care, permanent assistance but also emotional relief.

homelesspersons

Love and compassion are necessities not luxury products. Mankind cannot survive without them.24

16 000

live in Romania, many of which do

not even have a birth certificate

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out of solidarity

calamitiesWe contribute to preventing and reducing the effects of natural calamities and better preparing the communities to face emergency situations.We also provide material and psycho-social support when the disaster strikes. We help people overcome the difficult situation with dignity and go back to a normal life. After damage assessment, we develop rehabilitation and reconstruction projects for those communities.

prevention and reduction of disaster risksRisk evaluation in those regions where natural disasters are most probable to happen. The evaluation is made with the support of Caritas voluntary teamsInformative campaigns about the disasters’ effects and

Natural and man-made disasters have become frequent phenomena at international level but also in Romania, causing material damage and human suffering. Caritas approaches these

problems by developing complex projects meant to prevent disaster risks but also to help and reconstruct the calamity-stricken communities.

with those affected by

the importance of preventing calamities (work-shops, distribution of informative materials, leaflets, brochures in the targeted communities)Teaching the children of these communities about natural disasters and basic rules in preparing for such terrible situations

Elaboration of the “family plans for emergency situ-ations” together with the community’s voluntariesActions that help prepare a warning system, like planting trees in order to create a protection forest barrier for buildings and landsMeetings with other NGOs and representatives of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations

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Be kind whenever possible. And it is always possible.

55 000

affected by callamities have been suported

by Caritas

with those affected by

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persons

calamități

60 000

from calamity stricken communities received help from Caritas in a

year’s time.

persons

intervention in calamity stricken communitiesshort-time help

Emergency help: food, water, personal hygiene products, boots, beds and other supplies to help the affected population overcome the crisis situationSupport according to the community’s needs: animal feed, drying machines for the houses, help cleaning the wells

medium-term helpSanitary education programs for childrenSpecialized psycho-social support for vulnerable categories that were affected by the calamities: children and elderly

Food donations, stoves, firewoodRehabilitation programs for the calamity stricken communities: improving living conditions, donating house cleaning products and tools, providing subsistence resources (especially for agriculture and breeding)

long-term helpPost-disaster reconstruction programs, support in repairing and rebuilding the affected housesConstruction supplies donations, also furniture, household assetsAgricultural programs for the affected crops

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Those striken by calamities

impORtant!Besides the programs that Caritas implements in Romania, Caritas takes emergency actions also in the case of major calamities abroad.We organize fund-raising campaigns in order to finance projects that are implemented in partnership with organizations affiliated to Caritas Internationalis.In our region, we collaborate with South-East European Caritas organizations in the field of disaster risk reduction.Our experience, know-how and the instruments that we have been developing in disaster risk reduction have been appreciated in our region and have entitled us to coordinate such a transregional project at South-East European level.

training program – psycho-social support in emergency situations

The objective of the program is to build capacities of Caritas organizations to offer trainings in order to provide psycho-social support to calamity-stricken persons and communitiesThe trainings address professionals (social assistants and psychologists) to qualify them for emergency interventions.

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familii

caritas schoolThe training program developed by Caritas Alba Iulia is accredited and recognized by the state institutions and provides professional training and certifications as: home care specialist for the disabled and the elderly, baby-sitter, nurse, social worker. The programs also include training of trainers and caregivers of severely disabled per-sons.

The beneficiaries of these trainings are persons that already work in the field of home care but lack qualification and also persons that meet the required abilities as caregivers, unemployed that will be given to find a job a s result of this training.Other beneficiaries are, in the case of baby-sitting trainings, kindergarten and creche employees who are given the op-portunity to acquire the necessary qualification.

with faith in our

futureYouth from disadvantaged families and placement centers are the most vulnerable social category

judging by the risks that they may face: family abandonment, juvenile delinquency, parents’ abuse and neglect. We offer them support in discovering their own identity and identifying a direction for the future.

social-professional insertion center for Disadvantaged youth It functions at Caritas Iasi Diocesan Diocesan Center and addresses youth that have to leave placement centers, or have poor school performance and a critical family situation (alcoholic parents, monoparental or multiple families), as well as disabled youth. We ensure:

Qualification in joinery (with a diploma from the Labor Ministry), professional insertion and professional mediation on the labor market.Psycho-emotional support all along the project cycle.Practice in our joiner’s shop, under the surveillance of the joinery foreman, helping the youth included in the project to develop their autonomy and find the path that leads to per-sonal fulfillment.

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Medicamente si asistenta medicalaIn Romania, 10500 de persoane beneficiaza de serviciile celor 6 farmacii sociale Caritas din tara si ale cabinetului medi-cal social Caritas Oradea (aici s-au efectuat 8623 de consultatii intr-un an). Farmaciile sociale s-au numarat printre primele proiecte demarate de Caritas in Romania in domeniul solidaritatii sociale.

Rural development counseling and trainingThe rural population is getting older, the youth migrate to urban regions, agricultural fields remain abandoned, soils are being degraded. Therefore, we have developed support programs destined to youth coming from rural areas. The programs provide agricultural professional qualification and also help them make efficient use of the resources that they have in their rural region. We offer:

Cattle raising trainings

Agricultural trainingsPersonal financial resource managementExperience exchanges between young Romanian and foreign farmers.

55 000

provenite din astfel de familii au beneficiat, intr-un singur an, de

proiectele sociale desfasurate de Caritas

in aceasta directie.

de persoane

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One Million Stars CampaignThe “One Million Stars” campaign organized by Caritas in Ro-mania aims at delivering a solidarity message towards all Roma-nians that live below the poverty line.

One million stars – the light of hopeBy lighting up candles, the participants feel united in a solidarity action towards the marginalized persons living in poverty.Every candle that is lighted symbolizes a person that has to fight serious shortcomings and social isolation.www.unmiliondestele.ro is the official web page where we inform the population on this event and present all the locations where it takes place at the same time and the same day all over the country. We also present stories of the beneficiaries and invite visitors to make a donation. The funds that we raise are used to develop projects for disadvantaged persons, from little children to the elderly.

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Celebrating

voluntary work

Our successful projects would not exist without the help of the 1000 and more volunteers all over the country, people whoembrace the spirit of charity and voluntary actions.

What volunteers do:sick children visit programs: meant to offer psychological support to hospitalized children and make them forget for a moment about their sickness.tutoring programs: school studies, meals and educational activities.Elderly visit programs: home visits, shopping help, mobilization, cleaning.Educational programs for tolerance: to familiarize students with the concept of diversity, accepting differences, meeting disabled persons, rroma children, etc.

What we do for themvolunteers training programsvolunteers camp: meant to get volunteers ready for social work with disadvantaged persons

gala voluntarilor - an event that recognizes the merits of Caritas volunteers.

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Caritas internationalisCaritas Internationalis is one of the biggest networks dedicated to poverty and injustice reduction across the world. With its 165 members, Caritas national organizations, Caritas Internationalis’ activity concentrates on three main fields: emergency situations, sustainable development and peacebuilding.

Caritas EuropaCaritas Europa is a European network made of 48 Caritas organizations active in 44 European countries. Caritas Europa’s activities include poverty and social inequity reduction projects, migration and asylum in all European countries, humanitarian assistance and international development.

FonDFOND is the Romanian Government’s main partner in implementing the cooperation policy for development and humanitarian assistance. FOND sustains the development of the states belonging to the geographical areas that are a high priority for Romania’s external relations.

caritas confederation Romania in international and national networksOur complex projects, always future-oriented, need national and international involvement in implementing cooperation policies for humanitarian assistance, in developing advocacy strategies, in European policies and regional cooperation programs. As a result, Caritas Confederation is part of several national and international networks.

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Our thanks go to all caritas donors and partners!

Photo credit on pages 1, 7, 11, 13, 15, 23: Popa Sorin, http://www.facebook.com/popa.sorinusWe thank to all the Member Organizations of Caritas Confederation Romania for kindly providing us photos and information.

At Caritas confederation, we understand that we all live in an open world, where we have the right to follow our dreams, live decently, and receive help to overcome the difficult moments in our lives.For our projects to come to life, we need to make them known to as many people as possible. We need material, financial support, cooperation, good practice exchange, solidarity.Our activity would not be possible without the local and external donors’ contribution, the public local partnerships, the support of the Church and the contribution of private companies.

caritas confederation Romania

Washington Street, no 38, 1st district,Bucharest, Romania

Telephone number: +(40 21) 230 40 13caritas@caritas.org.ro

www.caritas.org.ro http://www.facebook.com/CaritasRomania

you can support caritas Romania through a donationUniCredit Tiriac Bank - Sucursala Charles de Gaulle

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