Education for 50 disadvantaged Romanian children

It has been a wonderful summer at the Pinocchio Center with many new features, volunteers and activities for the children.

In July the Association Lumea lui Pinocchio (that in English is “World of Pinocchio”) hosted a group of 12 young people coming from from all over the world  for 2 weeks.
The young  volunteers have done many activities with and for the children: from repairing the beautiful mural that decorates the facade of the Center Pinocchio to organizing a wonderful festival dedicated to the children of the city which took place in the public park. The festival called "Be the sun" (in Romanian "Fii soare") is conceived and promoted by the Association Lumea lui Pinocchio, and it has reached its third edition this year.

Margherita, one of the young participants, said about her experience: “I was the last to arrive in Panciu, late at night, but despite the hour, the welcome from the other volunteers was very warm. They were all awake waiting for me, and many people showed up right away, whose names it would have taken me days to remember.
Each of us brought what we knew how to do and taught it to the others. For example, there were those who showed how to make figures with balloons and those who showed how to make ceramic works. There was a serene atmosphere among the volunteers, full of mutual respect for the rhythms, sensitivities and needs of each. Discussions were always constructive, contributing to creating an environment of collaboration and shared growth.”
And she continued saying that: “The children who attend the Center Pinocchio are mainly from the Roma and poor families, and unfortunately there are many prejudices against them. Often other Romanian children and their parents do not want them to attend the Center. The idea of this public festival is not only to offer two days of entertainment to the children, but also to make the Centre Pinocchio known to the citizens and try to break down the barriers between Roma children and not Roma children.
Even though I did not speak Romanian, I managed to communicate effectively during the activities. In addition, the children themselves acted as interpreters for us, creating a climate of great collaboration. Some of the children knew a few words of English, others of Italian, and with this small vocabulary we were able to communicate effectively. This was particularly exciting for me: seeing children and young people helping each other to understand someone who spoke a different language filled my heart with joy. It was also touching to see how, during play and activities, the barriers between Roma and non-Roma children disappeared.They interacted and collaborated enthusiastically, creating bracelets, small ceramic elements, origami animals, following a treasure hunt, dancing, singing and participating in many other activities.
This is why I believe that the work of the Pinocchio center is extremely important. It offers children the opportunity to go every day, during the school year to do their homework and, during the summer, to participate in recreational activities. The volunteers who work all year round at the center try to teach children good manners, giving them social rules and trying to establish good habits in them, in an attempt to break this vicious circle of prejudice and exclusion.”

In August the children of the Center Pinocchio has attended a swimming course at the Focsani didactic swimming pool.  The joy of children who start learning to swim for the first time is immense. Children from disadvantaged families in the Panciu area, who participated in these courses, saw a dream come true! They never thought they could take a swimming course. Transport and entrance fees to the pool are also made possible by a support received from the Bosch Foundation in Romania.

And now, the first day of school, 9th September, is almost here.
Preparations for a new year begin. The Pinocchio Center, thanks to your precious support, is ready and it will be there to help he children in the new school year, especially those who have more difficulties.

Thanks once more for your support.  Together we are changing the World...the World of Pinocchio.

For this report we would like to share with you the words of a young Romanian volunteer who lives near Panciu and is giving part of his free time to help the children of the Pinocchio Center.

Thanks to the European Solidarity Corps programme, since 2024 the Pinocchio Center has started hosting young Romanian and foreign volunteers for a volunteering period from a period of a few weeks up to 12 months.

Theo said: “For me, the Pinocchio Center is a home, a place where everything can be possible, the place where the hope never dies.
It is a home where children grow up and volunteers come and go offering the best they could. Pinocchio Center is a perfect place that brings people together. Now it is a beautiful part of my heart and a memory I will always keep in my mind.
I really want to do something useful, to make a change.
I'm here for helping and listening to the children. it's very important to have someone to communicate with, so I am trying to be as much open as possible with them, listening and pay attention to them.
Education is important as emotions as well.
I am learning from the energy of the kids. I am also practicing my patience and my creativity. Kids can teach you a lot, they surprise me often. When I'm having a bad day, they come to talk to me.

Sharing this experience with other volunteers coming from different countries is one of the most beautiful experience in my life. We become very close friends, and just the thought that they will leave at the end of the projects, makes me cry.
It's great to meet people you can get along, have fun and talk, and if you feel like you're part of a small family, it's just perfect.
Thanks to this experience I can say that I have learned to respect more the place where I live.
What really matters is that we are human and we can try together to do wonderful things. We help each other, live new experiences together and although we don't share the same language or the same traditions, we understand each other very well.
Sometimes it's enough for your soul to speak through looks.
People are different which is absolutely wonderful, if we were all the same, life wouldn't have that touch of madness that we need sometimes.”
(Theo, volunteer at the Pinocchio Center)

Thanks once again to Theo for his great help and to you for your valuable support