The need that keeps us going

We are now filling a different need than when we first opened our doors... but a great need nonetheless... children who have caring families but who are extremely poverty stricken and are in need of hot nutritional meals; warm, comfortable beds for napping; warm baths; assistance with education; toys to play with; physical therapy to help them walk; and a positive environment and loving attention to help them rise above their situations. Most of our angels do not have electricity or running water at home and they have to work in the fields with their grandparents in order to have food on the table.This need has been created in part by the extreme poverty so many in our area face as a result of being forced to climb from the rubble after the fall of communism. Witnessing this need and knowing that what we are providing can truly make a difference in what these children become, keeps us pressing forward.

 

The home of two of our angels.

 

 

When we opened our doors as an emergency shelter for abandoned babies, there were an estimated 100,000 abandoned children in Romania. Many of these children spent  time in institutions or hospitals under conditions of extreme deprivation with very limited human interaction, resulting in a myriad of problems for them. These children needed quality care in their early years first and foremost because they deserve to be happy and healthy during these years and we want them to be. But, we also wanted to help spare them from having to overcome problems later in life that are almost certain to present themselves after spending early years in institutions or hospitals with no stimulation and little human interaction. 

 

Child in hospital Dec. 2001		Same child at House of Angels 4 months later
Little one in hospital		Same little one at House of Angels

According to the UNICEF January 2005 summary report entitled "Situation of Child Abandonment in Romania"...  "Child abandonment in 2003 and 2004 was no different from that occuring 10, 20, or 30 years ago. The magnitude of the phenomeon was determined by the rate of child abandonment (the number of abandoned children per 100 births/hospital admissions). The rate of child abandonment in maternity wards was 1.8% in 2003 and 2004, translated to an estimated 4,000 children, while in hospitals and pediatric wards the child abandonment rate was 1.5% and 1.4% in 2003 and 2004, respectively, or 5,000 children." This equated to a total of approximately 9,000 abandoned children per year!  

 

 

 

The problem of Romania's abandoned children began in 1965 when the Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu came into power. He had grand visions of a large military force and in hopes of achieving his dream and spreading communism his goal was to increase the population of Romania to 30 million. Therefore he used extreme measures to increase the birthrate in Romania. Under his oppressive regime, he required each woman by law to have at least four children and he later increased this number to five. Families with less than three children were heavliy taxed and birth control was outlawed until the age of 45.

 

The problem was that this created a boom of unwanted children and with the economic situation in such despair and with young mothers having more children than they were able to care for, there was a rapid increase of abandoned children.

 

Ceaucescu created state institutions in order to house the excess children with plans to draft these children when they reached adulthood  into the army. These institutions were like factories to create adults with no loyalty to family or religion and who would vow allegiance to the state only.

 

In 1989 Ceaucescu was executed and communism fell in Romania. But Romanians are still experiencing a great deal of economic difficulty and other lingering problems as they struggle to crawl from the rubble left after decades of communist rule.  As we have seen with many countries that strive for a free society, the problems do not go away overnight, often lingering for many decades. And so... the problem with the abandoned children continues.

 

In our county of Dambovita alone (just one out of 41 counties), there were 11 abanonded children in August 2004, 11 more in December 2004 and another 6 in January 2005.

 

 

 

The insitutions created during Ceaucescu's days were staffed by the minimum number of people necessary to keep them running. There was no consideration given to the developmental needs of the children. The children in these institutions often grew up without sufficient health care, food or clothing and in situations of extreme deprivation... no physical or mental stimulation... not knowing the feeling of a gentle breeze or warm sun against their cheeks, or the grass beneath their feet and... most importantly... without knowing the feeling of the loving human touch.

 

Under pressure from the European Union, Romania closed the doors of all institutions (except those for the disabled), including private run facilities. But there were still many, many abandoned children and they needed to go somewhere. So until House of Angels opened in April 2002, the children that were abandoned in the county of Dambovita, were kept in the county hospitals in hospital cribs. Here they received medical care, food and shelter but the staff was so overwhelmed by the number of children that they rarely got outside their cribs and still suffered very little human interaction.

 

 

 

Because of the lack of proper nutrition and physical, mental and emotional stimulation in many of the institutions, orphangages and hosptials, a whole host of problems can occur for these children. From nutritional deficiencies like anemia or vitamin D deficiency from never seeing the light of day TO bone deficiencies like rickets TO strabismus (crossed-eyes) TO emotional problems TO extreme developmental delays TO abnormal brain development TO RAD (reactive attachment disorder). And in most cases, the children with the least stimulation develop ways to stimulate themselves resulting in such behaviors as patting themsevles on the head, rocking back and forth, grinding their teeth, banging their heads on pillows or walls, etc. They simply learn to console themselves. Many of these problems linger or have lingering effects for years. It can take years or even lifetimes to overcome some of the problems posed by such neglect.

These children did NOTHING to deserve these struggles they deal with daily.

 

 

 

Most agree that the best solution for the abandoned Romanian children is for them to be reunited with their birth families or adopted within Romania when it is in the best interest of the child. However, domestic adoption rarely happens and reunification often poses problems. Though reunification sounds good in theory, sometimes returning them to the situations that caused the abandonement in the first place, poses unhealthy (and sometimes dangerous) situations for the children... but this is the law and it is done regardless. In August of 2004 there were 11 abandoned children in Dambovita. In December there were another 11 and an additional 6 in January 2005. This is just one of 41 counties in all of Romania. Since House of Angels opened its doors in April 2002 up until January 2005, out of 250 children served, we saw only 17 children returned to their natural families and 12 domestic adoptions.

 

 

 

Since the eyes of the world were opened to the fate of these abandoned children through the media in the 1980s, thousands have been adopted into loving families outside of Romania and have begun the process of healing. They have been given the gift of a stable home and loving parents to help and support them through life. Unfortunately, however, in June of 2004 Romania, under pressure from the European Union, signed new legislation closing its doors to international adoption. So now there are even more abandoned children that will need to be cared for. This is certainly a tragedy for thousands of children who might otherwise know the love and support of a forever family.

 

 

 

When Romania banned international adoption,  there were 211 adoption cases that were pending in the US alone. Worldwide there were approximately 2000. We are hoping that these cases will one day be resolved as these children deserve the basic right of knowing the love and security that only a forever family can provide.