The Rhema Foundation - Romania
Thursday 1st May 2008
Overview: The Rhema Foundation runs three homes in Targu Mures, Transylvania, for HIV infected children who would otherwise be condemned to life in the squalid conditions of state-run institutions. 2006 saw the 5th birthday of the three residential homes, one of which now acts as a transitional home. This allows the older children to experience relative independence in preparation for them to move to their own homes in the future.
Background: Back in 2002 it was estimated that approximately 8,700 Romanian children were HIV positive, the highest number in Europe. Shockingly most of the children were infected with the virus during basic hospital procedures in the early to mid eighties. In a town called Targu Mures, abandoned by their parents, HIV infected children used to lie all day in tiny cots in a terribly quiet hospital ward for people with infectious diseases. When anyone walked through the ward the children would stretch their arms through the bars of their cots desperate for human touch. Following a visit by Steve and COCO in 2001 we joined forces with Scottish International Relief (SIR) to take all the children out of the hospital ward and house them in a spacious care home where each child would have their own room and a much brighter future ahead of them.
Resolution: The foundation prides itself on not only providing a high standard of accommodation for the children but ensuring they receive the love and care that all young people deserve. They employ 12 "social mothers" as well as personnel and medical staff to ensure the children receive support and guidance with the foresight of future social integration.
Ibi Unger is the director at the foundation in Romania, she said, "COCO made a difference in 4 abandoned children's lives. Codrutta, Julia, Alexandru and Csabi are all severely mentally handicapped and also have HIV/AIDS. Since birth, they were abandoned in a hospital, and with COCO's help, we managed to take the children out of the hospital and place them in ROSES residential home. A first smile was brought on these children's faces, thanks to the help given to us from COCO. Thank you to all the supporters who made the change possible."
Did you know..?:
- Romania has the highest number of HIV infected children in Europe (over 7,500 in 2003) as well as a high incidence of child abandonment
- Funds from COCO in 2006 allowed for the continued financial support of 4 abandoned children, all of whom are severely mentally handicapped and HIV positive. They were abandoned in Targu Mures Hospital but moved to the Rhema Foundation in 2003
- In addition to covering all expenses for these children, in 2006 COCO has also funded a trained kindergarten teacher to support these children's development