Break Poverty Cycle of Roma Children in Romania

Greetings from the Care2Travel team!

Over the past months, we continued our regular support for the children attending the after-school club. Our main goal remained the same: to make sure that the children have a safe place where they can stay after school, receive food, learn, play, and spend time with people who care about them.

Food support continues to be one of the most important needs. We have kept providing food once or twice every week covering the need for all weekdays, bringing enough basic supplies so the educator can prepare food for the children. This makes a very practical difference in their everyday life. Without food, some of the children would need to go home earlier because they are hungry. With this support, they can stay longer at the club, eat properly, and then continue with homework, learning and playing under the supervision of their educator.

Besides food, we also continued bringing different donations according to the needs of the children and the club. These included clothes, school supplies, games and other useful items. Some may seem like small things, but for families with very limited resources they can make an important difference.

Our international volunteers also continued to visit the children regularly, sometimes several times during the week. They played games together, helped with activities and introduced English in a natural and enjoyable way. For the children, English is much more interesting when they actually have somebody from another country standing in front of them and they need to find a way to communicate. Simple words, games, gestures and conversations slowly build their confidence and show them that what they learn at school can also be useful in real life.

The regular presence of volunteers is important for another reason as well. The children meet young people from many different countries and backgrounds who spend time with them, listen to them and encourage them. Over time, these repeated visits help build trust and give the children more positive examples and experiences outside their immediate environment.

Since July, the after-school club has been on its normal summer holiday, so our regular visits have temporarily stopped. However, this is only a short break. In around two weeks the activities will start again, and we are already prepared to continue our support.

We have volunteers ready to return, donations and activity materials available, and we will continue providing the food support that has become so important for the daily functioning of the club. We are looking forward to seeing the children again and finding out how their summer went.

Breaking a cycle of poverty is of course not something that happens in a few months. It requires education, stability, opportunities and people who continue to be present. This is why we believe these regular small actions matter: a meal that allows a child to stay and study for another few hours, a volunteer helping with English, school supplies when they are needed, or simply having a safe and supportive place to return to every week.

We are ready for another school year and look forward to continuing to support this small community with volunteers, donations, educational activities and care.

Thank you very much to everyone who helps us make this possible. Your support allows us to keep being there, week after week, for children and families who really benefit from it.

Warm regards,
The Care2Travel Team