Provisions provided:
Once a needy family has been brought into our program, we provide financial, medical and emotional support. We identify at-risk children and create change within their lives; by seeking all available governmental and medical support on behalf of the families. Many impoverished Romanian families do not know how to apply for this support, which often includes a small stipend and free medical care; in addition to applying for these funds, Ana’s Children’s supplements, where needed, the governmental income. Furthermore, the children identified by Ana’s Children receive counseling and are required to attend school full-time. All the while, the children are encouraged to plan and dream about their future, secure in the knowledge of our long-term commitment to their well-being.
The Families:
Families are chosen based upon their ability and commitment to overcome poverty. If a family is unable to provide for itself, as the result of a disability or some other difficulty, then Ana's Children has no problem meeting its needs for the long-term. However, if a family is able to provide for itself, then in a reasonable length of time, the family will be expected to support themselves. The Family Assistance Program provides job placement services, so that after six to twelve months we can graduate the family out of our program and adopt a new family. Mihaela Voivozeanu, Executive Director in Romania, has spent many years working with impoverished families in Bucharest and consequently she knows the families of need in the city.
Our Family Assistance Program
Inspiration:
Our Family Assistance Program works with impoverished children and their families in Bucharest, Romania. The current Romanian social services are unable to meet the full needs of millions of poverty stricken Romanians – consequently survival relies heavily on private organizations like Ana’s Children. It is not uncommon to see families of six to ten people living together in a mere ten by fifteen foot room. The children of these families are often forced into begging to support the family; preventing them from consistently attending school and thus perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Ana’s Children’s Family Assistance Program is working to change this.
