Helping children in Romania

All projects have been selected to benefit local people. We encourage all our volunteers to live in harmony with the local culture, to contribute their time and effort to projects and to make a real contribution to the vulnerable people of Romania. By working and living locally participants will become immersed in the country and will live in a way that is harmonious with the culture and environment. You will be living is a warm and comfortable flat with other volunteers. The accommodation is locally owned and any food provided is locally sourced and cooked by locals.

Volunteers are needed in Brasov as it is a mix of wealth and poverty. Due to past government leadership he rate of unwanted pregnancies is extremely high leaving the country with an excessive amount of orphans. The country is not wealthy and its basic infrastructure means that volunteers willing to help with child care are in great demand. Past volunteers have been a real asset to the community by providing valuable care, support and friendships to the young Romanians. The placements are in orphanages whilst others are with state nurseries. Wherever you work you will get involved in the basic routines, but also provide the cuddles, fun and attention that the staff are often too hard pressed to give.

Our volunteers are given a pre departure briefing where they are encouraged to minimise waste and to live in a way that will not have a detrimental effect on the country or communities. There is a special session entitled ‘Responsible tourism’ where we discuss cultural differences and sensitivities as well as advising volunteers on appropriate conduct. People are given a Romanian language course and briefed on what is considered polite in terms of eating, greeting and dressing.

The visitor will learn more about real Romanian life as lived by ordinary people in a variety of areas and know Romania in its real perspective compared to what is depicted in the International News. The duration of the visit means that a real bond can be made with locals rather than just a tourist-host relationship. A percentage of the cost of the placement will go to the local projects. The group size of volunteers is small so that the cultural impact is minimal and there is more integration with the society. Our company is an environmentally responsible one that operates recycling and reusing of waste products. We also offset carbon emissions in our office (gas, electricity, business mileage).