EDUCATE disabled Romanian orphans DENIED EDUCATION

Buna Dimineata ! (Good morning in Romanian)

Since opening our doors three years ago, our goal has always been to provide the children with tools to help them be more independent once they become adults. Before being placed in foster homes, these kids spent time at a state run orphanage for children with disabilities. They were the lucky ones who were chosen to be taken home by a family, rather than being left to grow up in the orphanage (called a Placement Center). BUT due to their disabilities and lack of formal education, many of these kids have been at risk of being returned to a state run facilty when they become of age. This is why our program has emphasized educational tutoring and teaching life skills. We've been thrilled with the changes we have seen in the kids who have been with us since our inception and as they grown into pre-teens and teens!

To further assist our teens and pre-teens, we are developing a Teen and Pre-Teen Program led by our new part-time Social Worker, (called a Social Assistant in Romania). Our social worker will work with small groups and one-on-one, specifically teaching life skills according to the needs of each child. Our curriculum is being created but we will be working with the children at our Center and in their homes to assist the foster mothers in addressing any specific in-home challenges. We also plan to provide instruction through real world experiences -- taking the kids to the grocery store, the movies, the bank, a restaurant, etc.  We want children to understand how to use money at a basic level, how to take care of themselves physically while navigating any of their own physical or medical difficulties, and always how to interact socially with others. As these children may not be having lots of social interactions with peers except at our Center, it is critical that they continue to improve social skills.

We look forward to sharing more details about this new, much-needed program. For now, our social worker is part-time but we hope to raise additional funds to have her work full-time once the program is underway, especially as we are growing and would like to assist additional older kids. 

As always, thank you for your kind suppport.

Should you have any questions or want more information, please email lauren@deliafoundation.org.

Best,

Lauren Fishbach, Co-Founder, Delia's Learning Center, US Board President, The Delia Foundation

Laura Larkin, Co-Founder, Delia's Learning Center, CEO, The Delia Foundation

David Conway, Co-Founder, Delia's Learning Center, Trustee, UK Association of Delia's Friends