What is the Solution?

Love is all you need    
           
Solving the problem of suffering children in Romanian institutions isn't something that can be done easily. I mentioned in my previous post that the European Union had provided millions of dollars for Romania to improve their orphanages, but still not many changes have been made. Money is needed, but more than that, loving people to run the orphanages are needed. Children still suffer, live in horrible conditions, and have no one to love them. The majority of the time, the people that run the “orphanages” are not kind people, and they have no interest in building a relationship with the children (I’m trying to refrain from calling them orphans, because, in reality, the majority of them have living parents). This has to be changed.

                                    
Mirela Kinney was adopted from Romania by an American family and they brought her to the United States to have a better life. When Mirela was adopted, her new parents were told that either they adopt her, or Mirela ends up a prostitute. This is the reality of the majority of orphans that are not adopted, because they have no education and no skills. They’re just left to care for themselves.

Getting America involved

I think American university students, teachers, and any other interested person, should come together during the summers or winter breaks and go to Romania as volunteers. Funds would be raised so that school materials (books, pencils, crayons, and paper), food, and games could be purchased for the children. The American teachers can set up workshops in the orphanages to teach effective ways of caring for the children and teaching them. These workshops could be set up so that people (beyond just the orphanage directors) that are interested in the areas of Romania can come, learn, and get involved. Not only would they learn how to care about the children, they would implement a set school schedule in the institutions so that children are getting education daily. This way, when students do reach the age of independence and are forced out of the orphanages, they can have some skills and education to be successful.

In addition to setting up workshops in Romanian orphanages, several workers from American orphanages willing to transfer, could permanently move to Romania and continue helping improve the orphanages. Michelle Kelly is an American woman, who owns a private orphanage in Romania, and through her care, she has saved children, and she helps provide them with clean living conditions and food. There could be many more success stories like Michelle Kelly's if more people were given the opportunity to go to Romania and work in orphanages. The main goal of having all of these people travel to Romania and work on improving the care in the orphanages is to help them get their basic needs such as food, love, clothing, and education.

After meeting the basic needs of the children in the orphanages and enough funds have been raised, orphanages would be remodeled and made larger so that every child has enough space to sleep comfortably each night. In addition to remodeling, washing machines would be bought for all the orphanages so that children can have fresh, clean clothes available to them all the time.

If nobody in Romania is going to step up and help the suffering orphanages there, it is our job to get involved. I don't want to just sit and read about the suffering of the orphans, I want to do something about it. I want to help. I want to contribute. Even donating one dollar to the volunteering organization traveling to Romania could buy a coloring book for a child. Every act of kindness and effort to help restore the orphanages is appreciated.

-Inhumane Living Conditions for Romania's Lost Generation
from ABC News

-Mirela Kinney: An American Adoptees Story