Romania

Romania Projects

Since 1992 Asociatia de Ajutor AMURTEL, has been working as a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Romania caring for the needs of disadvantaged children. In particular, we have focused on serving children with special needs, and also children who suffered from severe neglect and abuse in the state children’s homes during the Communist era.

Domnesti Boy's Home:
In our family style children’s home “Familia AMURTEL”, we provide a loving, secure, and creative environment for 16 abandoned children which helps them to heal from their early traumas, grow, develop and have a chance to make a contribution to Romanian society. Additionally, in the nearby village of Poieni there is an agricultural project to provide a summer vacation home for the children, income generation through agro-tourism, and partial self-sufficiency  to the children’s home. read more...

Kindergartens - Bucharest
AMURTEL also runs two alternative kindergartens in Bucharest, one of which is specialised in offering a program of inclusive education for children with special needs. During the Communist era, children with special needs were extremely marginalised to the extent that they were invisible in the society. Communist dogma held that all problems in society were caused by economic factors, and since Communism had solved the economic injustice of the society, problems no longer existed. Everything from diseases to special needs was thus a taboo as it conflicted with that dogma, and was thus hidden carefully from the public eye. Children with special needs were often institutionalized in state children homes for the "irrecoverables" and thus sufferered the worst kind of neglect and abuse. Parents received no support in raising children with special needs. AMURTEL was the first in Bucharest to open a kindergarten to help introduce the idea of mainstreaming special needs children into a normal curriculum with a supportive, loving environment.

After School Centre - Panatau:
In June 2007, we will be opening a new after school center in Panatau, in collaboration with the Mayor of Panatau, and Cooperating Netherlands Foundation. The centre is called “Sunrise”, and it will provide a hot meal, homework support and extracurricular activities for approximately 20 of the most economically disadvantaged children of the village.  The children who will benefit from this service often do not receive balanced nutritious food at home, and have difficulty to study because of hunger. Also, as many of their parents themselves have not completed highschool, they receive very little support to finish their own studies and break the cycle of poverty. We have high hopes that this project will play an important role in giving an opportunity for a better future for these children.