SOS Children's Villages Romania is a non-governmental organization with a noble mission for the children of Romania, that of providing a family to children who have been left without parental support. With the help of Anamaria Ionescu, corporate fundraiser within the association, we found out more information about how we, the people of Sibiu, can help, so that every child can benefit from a loving family.
1. Hello Anamaria and thank you for wanting to tell us more about SOS Children's Villages. For starters, what is the main purpose of the association?
Hi Iulia, thank you for giving us the chance to tell people about our activity.
The main goal of our organization is not to let any child grow up alone.
For 27 years we have been committed to providing a family for children who have been left without parental support and to protecting those who risk losing it.
2. What activities are you currently carrying out?
Our activity is divided into two main directions: we offer quality alternative care for children who can no longer take care of biological families, through services with the component of growth and family care, and the second direction is to help disadvantaged families to have caring for their children to avoid their separation, by strengthening their ability to protect and care for their children.
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3. Who are the people behind the organization and how was SOS Children's Villages Romania born?
The first SOS Village was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in Tyrol, Austria, in 1949. Affected by the suffering of orphaned children after World War II, the medical student set out to provide them with a new family to love them and raise them, in the midst of a new welcoming community. SOS villages are communities of houses, oriented around the family model: each child lives in a house, with social and biological siblings and a social mother, called SOS Mother. It gives children care and affection, like in a family. Also, each SOS Village has a team of psycho-pedagogues, who monitor the progress and development of children, plan pedagogical activities and advise children.
The SOS Kinderdorf International organization from Austria signs the Collaboration Agreement with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and we are officially SOS Children's Villages Romania, and in 1991 we start the construction of the two SOS Villages, in Bucharest and Cisnadie, Sibiu County. In 1993 the first SOS families, consisting of children and SOS Mothers, moved to new homes, and in October we inaugurated the first two SOS Villages, in Bucharest and Cisnadie.
4. Who supports the organization's projects?
We are proud of a strong community of good people who are true members of the SOS Family. Ambassadors, volunteers, donors and corporate partners, we all manage to create a better future for vulnerable children and young people.
5. How do the children perceive the help coming from the association and how do you see their evolution?
The children feel loved and appreciated, and SOS Mothers are always by their side and support them every day. Emotional bonds are built between the children and the social mother, which often last a lifetime.
6. Where does the activity take place and which are the most affected areas from a social point of view?
SOS Children's Villages Romania operates in three areas nationwide in Bucharest, Cisnadie - Sibiu and Bacau.
The most affected areas, where we intervene to prevent the separation of children from biological families, are those where the lack of education is fueled by the lack of resources. We make efforts to support children in their relationship with the school and to help parents to support their family. The goal is to break the circle of vulnerability, and at the end of the program families can be independent and integrated into society.
We are currently preventing the separation of children from the biological family in Bucharest (Sector 1, Buftea), Sibiu (Chirpar, Vurpar communes), Bacau (Hemeius, Garleni, Racova, Blagesti and Onesti communes).
Every year, we raise more than 150 children left without a family and we support another 550 children to stay with their parents and have a proper education.
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7. What does SOS Children's Villages mean in numbers?
Over 450 children have received a loving family since 1993, over 3,400 children and their parents continue their family life, without looking back at past problems, and in total the lives of over 65,000 beneficiaries have been changed by SOS Children's Villages projects.
8. How can people help the association effectively and how can we, the New Concept Living team, help you in the projects you carry out?
All those who want to support the projects developed by SOS Children's Villages Romania can do it in several ways:
- donations by SMS to 8864 with the text MAMA (4 Euro / month), number valid in the Digi Mobil, Orange, Telekom and Vodafone networks;
- online donations, with the bank card, on the organization's website: www.sos-satelecopiilor.ro/ajuta;
- bank donations directly to the account of SOS Children's Villages Romania: RO84BACX0000001080003013.
And for New Concept Living we thought of a wonderful, innovative project that has never been done before with any real estate agency, namely a CSR project - corporate social responsibility. (In short, for each purchase made by the client through the New Concept Living agency, an amount established by mutual agreement is redirected to the SOS Children's Villages Romania case. In this way, each buyer, together with New Concept Living, becomes a supporter of our projects. way to do good deeds when buying from New Concept Living.
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9. What vision do you have on the future regarding the association and what other projects do you intend to carry out in the future?
For the future, we aim to maintain the quality of the services offered and to constantly follow the progress of the system of alternative care services, the continuous development and adaptation to the needs of the children and of the society in which we live. We are currently developing the maternity care program, through which we will be able to respond to the needs of young children.
10. Finally, tell us how can people contact you?
I can contact you by phone at 0756098780 or I can write to my e-mail address anamaria.ionescu@sos-satelecopiilor.ro
You can follow our activity on:
- our website www.sos-satelecopiilor.ro
- and on the facebook page www.facebook.com/SOSSateleCopiilor
Thank you and we wish you the strength to do good deeds!
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