Romanian Orphanages

Vince Mottes Jon Slattery Cindy Lewis Adam Brown

Overview of the Problem

Global Problem
153 Children have lost one parent at least
7 million children are in institutional care

Inter-country adoption has decreased 59% since 2004 Deprivation of food, water, and sanitation Children are sexually exploited in the multibillion dollar commercial sex industry
(Childrens Statistics, n.d.)

Overview of Problem
One study reported:
15,000 orphans aging out of state-run institutions every year 10% committed suicide 5000 were unemployed 6000 were homeless
3000 were in prison within three years
(Here I Am Orphan Ministries, 2013)

Overview of the Problem

The Romanian Problem
2,500 children live on the streets 100,000+ children housed in orphanages
(Here I Am Orphan Ministries, 2013)

Overview of the Problem

Institutionalized Brain
Children have small amount of grey and white matter (Writer, LiveScience Senior 2012)

Irreversible effects
Cognitive delays Psychological disorders Stunted growth
(Bucharest Early Intervention Project, n.d.)

Historical/Political Aspect
1965- 1989 The reign of Nicolae Ceausescu
Laws to increase population (Decree 770)
Abortions Birth control Family planning Sex Education

1966-1967
Population increase by 100%

1968-1970
child abandonment increased

Historical/Political Aspect
1989
Nicolae was overthrown and executed Fall of the communist reign

1990
Child Welfare Reform Act

2000
International adoption suspension

2001
"institutional" care to "family" care
(Child Welfare in Romania. 2006) (Nicolae Ceausescu Biography. 2013) (Nicolae Ceausescu. 2014)

Historical Aspect
2005 Child Right Laws
Best interest of the child The right to life and development Nondiscrimination The right to free opinion

(Child Welfare in Romania. 2006) (Nicolae Ceausescu Biography. 2013) (Nicolae Ceausescu. 2014)

Cultural Aspect
Romanian culture has been shaped by its leaders
Nicolae Ceausescu 1967-1989
Laws created to build a large population
Abortions and birth control were banned

Confusion of responsibility
Parents were encouraged to place children in institutions
Economic and social issues
(Culture of Romania, 2014) (Hughes 2013) (Rus, et al. 2011)

Design Aspect
Documentaries
The harsh conditions of Romania displayed through art
The ABC 20/20 documentary Documentaries about resiliency

Music
Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal
Charity album
(Nobodys Child: Romanian Angel Appeal, 2014)
Artists: Van Morrison, Elton John, Traveling Wilburys, and Stevie Wonder

Economical Aspect
Communist Party
Complete control of economy

Paying off debt

Shortages in food and services

Nationalized Economy
Rural to urban

Black Market
(Romania during Ceausescus Dictatorship, n.d.) (Culture of Romania, 2014)

Economical Aspect
After Nicolae
Slow increase in economy

9 million employed workers

Service Agricultural Industry

(Romania during Ceausescus Dictatorship, n.d.) (Culture of Romania, 2014)

Environmental Aspect
Romanias Environment
Heavy pollution Numerous floods and earthquakes Acidic rain Causing degradation of soil
(Environment Romania. 2014)

Environmental Aspect cont

Orphanage Environment
Understaffed Overcrowded No sanitation Abuse is rampant

(Romanian Orphan Ministries, Inc. 2014)

Health Interventions
Current Organizations/Programs
Kootenay Romania Relief Organization Canada
Re-built the infrastructure of an orphanage
(Kootenay Romanian Relief Organization Canada. n.d.)

Firm Foundations Romania

Aid abandon orphans
Programs to teach life lessons
(Firm Foundations Romania. 2014)

Romanian Orphan Ministries

Saturday Out Program Apartment Transition Program
(Romanian Orphan Ministries, Inc. 2014)

Health Interventions
Current Organizations/Programs Hope & Homes for Children Deinstitutionalisation Develop services to support vulnerable families (Hope and Homes for Children. 2013) H2H Share God's love with the poor and orphans
(Romanian Orphans. 2014)

Social Media
Romanian Orphans Ministries
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/RomanianOrphan-Ministries-Inc/102857034126

My story: Romanian Orphans

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/romaniasorphans

MOOCs
Vanderbilt University: Nutrition, Health, and Lifestyle: Issues and Insights

John Hopkins School of Public Health: Community Change in Public Health University of Florida: Economic Issues, Food & You
University of Pennsylvania: Rationing and Allocating Scarce Medical Resources

Wild Card
http://youtu.be/nrIprZvkh-M

References
Bucharest Early Intervention Project. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.bucharestearlyinterventionproject.org/ Child Welfare in Romania. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.copii.ro/Files/NAPCR_brochure_200744184931.pdf Childrens Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.sos-usa.org/about-sos/whatwe-do/orphan-statistics/pages/global-orphan-statistics.aspx Culture of Romania: history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.everyculture.com/NoSa/Romania.html#ixzz2wRsJEofq Culture of Romania: history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.everyculture.com/NoSa/Romania.html#ixzz2wRsJEofq Environment Romania. (2014). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Romania-ENVIRONMENT.html Firm Foundations Romania. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.firmfoundationsromania.com/

References
"Given Our Chance" Trailer [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/CqGibIEruxI Here I Am Orphan Ministries. (2013). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.orphanministries.com/statistics.html Hope and Homes for Children. (2013). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.hopeandhomes.org/ Hughes. (2013). The Orphanage Problem. Retrieved from http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/31/the-orphanage-problem/ John Upton 20/20 Part 1 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ISSgupUtpU Kootenay Romanian Relief Organization Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://romanianrelief.com/ Nicolae Ceausescu. (2014). New York Times: times topics. Retrieved fromm http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/nicolae_ceausescu/ Nicolae Ceausescu Biography. (2013). BIO. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/nicolae-ceausescu-38355

References
Nobodys Child: Romanian Angel Appeal. (2014). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nobody%27s_Child:_Romanian_Angel_Appeal& oldid=544479517 Romania during Ceausescus Dictatorship. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.procesulcomunismului.com/marturii/fonduri/mmioc/anticomrev/docs/02.htm Romania Geography. (2012). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.aboutromania.com/geography.html Romanian Orphans. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.h2hint.org/ Romanian Orphan Ministries, Inc. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.romanianorphanministries.com/ Rus, Parris, Cross, Purvis,Simona. (2011). Reforming the Romanian Child Welfare System:1990 - 2010. Retrieved from http://www.rcis.ro/images/documente/rcis34_04.pdf The appalling situation of Romanias institutionalized children: From Ceausescu to today. (2012). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/05/roma-m23.html Writer, S. P., LiveScience Senior. (2012). Early Neglect Alters Kids Brains. LiveScience.com. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.livescience.com/21778-early-neglect-alterkids-brains.html