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BRASOV Day Centre for Street Children CRY is working in partnership with Asociatia "Centrul Vietii Noi" ("New Life") to provide consistent support and help both spiritual and material to children and young people who are living or at risk of living on the streets of Brasov. This comprehensive programme includes:
The Day Centre (house purchase and running costs mostly funded by CRY) offers advice, counselling, medical aid, clothing, showers, food to children and young people living on the streets or ‘at-risk’ children in poor families. The Night Shelter provides short term emergency accommodation. Micro business initiatives are also being planned (a slab- and block-making business has already been started) which will provide vocational training and possibly employment for some of these young people at the same time as generating a local income - helping towards our goal of all projects becoming self-sustaining.
This model is an integral part of a longer-term rehabilitation and reintegration programme meeting immediate needs, providing the social support necessary for recovery and preparing children and young people for short-term residential care, supported reunification with their natural parent/s or other family member, for fostering, adoption or supported independent living.
The Centre which caters for approx 30
children a day is also providing residential care for a few young men who were formerly living on the streets. Roma Gypsy Outreach
Before Bert returned with his family to Holland, he trained up
an excellent local team. God has given a special anointing to the team for this
very difficult, demanding and at times dangerous work. The Team have given so
much to serve this community - even during the very worst of the winter weather.
Recognising the excellent work being done with the gypsies, in 2004 the local authority in
Haghig made available (free of charge) one room in a state kindergarten
specifically for gypsy children. Without the benefit of kindergarten education, many children (especially
gypsy) fail to adequately start their formal school career and, as a result, often drop out in their early teens and miss out
on life opportunities as a result of that. CRY helped to fund the refurbishment of toilets (picture shows them before refurbishment) and
schoolroom at the kindergarten. In 2005, the local Haghig authority integrated
the Roma children with the others and is providing greater financial support.
In order to help these Roma communities to become self
sufficient, micro-business initiatives will be encouraged. Paloma from Haghig
was recently donated a sewing machine and with training and monitoring is now
making delightful gift bags which are sold to visitors and supporters in Germany
and England. Just a few bags a day will buy the family a loaf of bread!
These teenagers are directed to follow a vocational training to
help them to find work. They are also encouraged to manage a basic weekly budget
for food and recreation activities.
One of the hardest struggles is helping them to understand the need to become independent - as well as budgeting wisely and planning their daily activities according to their needs. This is often especially hard for those who have grown up in a state institution or children's home. The care team initially concentrate on relational, communication and emotional issues, however, often by the end of the first year, the youngsters are able to manage their budget and find work, even if just summer employment.
Day Centre For our |
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Romanian visitors, please visit 
