Disability Rights Romania Project #69480

Build Hope for Refugee Children with Disabilities

by Asociatia Serviciul Iezuitilor pentru Refugiati din Romania

Build Hope for Refugee Children with Disabilities

Project Report | Aug 20, 2026
Their Needs Continue - And So Does Our Support

By Semeniuc Cristina | Project manager

Speech Therapy Supporting Early Communication

Dear friends,

Over the past three months, JRS Romania has continued to stand alongside refugee children and their families, even as funding available for refugee assistance has become more limited than in previous years. The resources may be shrinking, but children’s developmental needs have not disappeared. For a child who needs speech therapy, psychological support, or help adapting to a new environment, development cannot simply be put on hold.

During this period, we continued providing specialized support to children with very different needs. Some require help with speech and language development, others with communication, emotional regulation, social interaction, or broader developmental challenges. For refugee children, access to specialists who can work in their native language is particularly important — and often difficult for families to find or afford on their own.

Diana’s story is one example. When her mother, Iryna, realized that her young daughter was barely speaking, she sought professional help. Through regular speech therapy and psychological support, Diana gradually began using more words, communicating with greater confidence, and interacting more easily with those around her. As her mother told us, “It doesn’t happen overnight, but little by little Diana is changing.” These small steps are helping prepare her for another important milestone: starting kindergarten.

Other children need different forms of support. Nine-year-old Oleksandr has been working with a speech therapist to consistently pronounce a sound he has struggled with for years. Nicole, meanwhile, can pronounce individual words but is still working toward connected speech and sentences. Their stories remind us that there is no single definition of progress. Sometimes it is a new word. Sometimes it is a correctly pronounced sound, a sentence, greater confidence, or the ability to connect more easily with other children.

Behind every achievement are months of patient work by children, parents, and specialists. Our therapists continue to work with empathy, consistency, and professional dedication, adapting their approach to each child’s individual needs. The goal goes beyond therapy itself: we want children to communicate, participate, build relationships, integrate into their communities, and become increasingly independent.

As humanitarian resources become more limited, maintaining this continuity is increasingly challenging. Yet the children remain here, and they remain vulnerable. JRS Romania continues to stand with them because progress already achieved should not be lost simply because a funding programme ends.

Thank you for helping us keep that continuity alive. Every new word, every connection, and every small step forward is part of a much bigger journey toward inclusion and independence.

With gratitude,
JRS Romania Team

Learning and Growing Through Therapy

Specialized Support for Children's Development

Every New Sound Is a Step Forward

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Apr 28, 2026
When Support Ends - The Need Does Not

By ALEXANDRA MADALINA POPA | Project Leader

Building Communication Through Guided Play

Dear friends,

As we entered 2026, one reality became clear: while funding for refugees and migrants has significantly decreased, the needs of the children we support have not. At JRS Romania, we continue to stand by refugee families from Ukraine and other countries, even as resources become more limited.

During this period, we provided both educational support and specialized therapies for children facing multiple vulnerabilities. In Bucharest, children benefit from school and after-school activities within the JRS Romania center, offering a stable environment where they can learn, interact, and regain a sense of normalcy.

At the same time, we continued to offer integrated therapeutic support tailored to each child’s needs, including speech therapy, psychological counseling, and support for children with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, motor difficulties, and socialization challenges. For many, this support is the difference between isolation and participation, between stagnation and development.

One of the children we supported is Tymur, a young boy with non-verbal autism. Through consistent therapy, small but meaningful changes began to appear — increased attention, moments of connection, and early attempts to communicate. As his mother shared, “others may not notice these changes, but for us, they mean everything.”

Despite the high costs of therapy and increasing pressure on families, we remain committed. Our team works every day with patience, empathy, and professional dedication to help children build skills, confidence, and independence. Progress takes time — but it is real.

We are deeply grateful for your continued support. In a context where many programs have ended, your support ensures that children do not lose access to essential care — and that their progress can continue.

With gratitude,
JRS Romania Team

Support That Reaches the Whole Family

Small Steps Toward Connection and Expression

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Jan 2, 2026
Still with them:Progress Through Consistent Care

By Alexandra Madalina Popa | Project Leader

Support That Makes a Difference for David

Dear friends,

Between September 2025 and January 2026, your support allowed us to continue providing specialized care for refugee children with disabilities in Bucharest—children whose progress depends not on one-time interventions, but on consistency, trust, and long-term presence. Although the available funds do not always cover every need, we remain committed to staying by their side and responding as fully as possible to each child’s situation.

One of the children we continued to support during this period is David, a young Ukrainian boy who requires ongoing speech and behavioral therapy. Like many displaced children, David initially struggled to connect with specialists who did not speak his native language. Through Ukrainian-language speech therapy, individual psychological counseling, and parent-guidance sessions, David has gradually gained confidence and emotional stability. His progress is not linear—there are difficult days—but his ability to express himself, tolerate frustration, and engage in structured activities has visibly improved. His mother shared that knowing someone is consistently there for her child has made an enormous difference: “I finally feel that we are not alone anymore.”

Alongside David, we continued to support other refugee children throughout 2025 and into early 2026. Our activities included speech therapy, individual and group psychological counseling, motor and movement-based activities, and art therapy sessions designed to help children process trauma in a safe, non-verbal way. These interventions were adapted to each child’s needs and often combined with parental counseling, so progress could continue at home, not only during therapy sessions.

For many families, this support has had effects beyond the therapy room. As children became more emotionally regulated and communicative, parents were better able to seek employment, manage daily stress, and plan for the future. Even when resources are limited, our holistic approach—working with children, parents, and educators together—helps build stability and resilience over time.

We are deeply grateful for your continued trust. Your donations are not just funding sessions; they are sustaining relationships, routines, and hope for children who have already lost too much. We will keep walking alongside them and will continue to share their progress with you.

With gratitude,
JRS Romania Team

Individual Therapy That Builds Trust and Confidenc

Guided Movement Supporting Healthy Development

Calm, Focus, and Balance Through Therapeutic Sport

When Progress Takes Time but Support is Constant

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