Romanian OrphanagesVince MottesJon SlatteryCindy LewisAdam Brown
(Evolutionary parentin, 2011)
(American radioworks, 2014)
Overview of the Problem•Global Problem
▫153 Children have lost one parent at least 7 million children are in institutional care
▫Inter-country adoption has decreased 59% since 2004
▫Deprivation of food, water, and sanitation ▫Children are sexually exploited in the
multibillion dollar commercial sex industry (Children’s Statistics, n.d.)
Overview of Problem•One study reported:
▫15,000 orphans aging out of state-run institutions every year
▫10% committed suicide▫5000 were unemployed▫6000 were homeless
3000 were in prison within three years (Here I Am Orphan Ministries, 2013)
Overview of the Problem•The Romanian Problem
▫2,500 children live on the streets▫100,000+ children housed in orphanages
(Here I Am Orphan Ministries, 2013)
(Excalibur unit, 2014)
Overview of the Problem▫Institutionalized Brain
Children have small amount of grey and white matter (Writer, LiveScience Senior 2012)
▫Irreversible effects Cognitive delays Psychological disorders Stunted growth
(Bucharest Early Intervention Project, n.d.)
(How to fascinate, 2013)
Historical/Political Aspect •1965- 1989 The reign of Nicolae
Ceausescu ▫Laws to increase population (Decree 770)
Abortions Birth control Family planning Sex Education
▫1966-1967 Population increase by 100%
▫1968-1970 child abandonment increased
(Child Welfare in Romania. 2006)(Nicolae Ceausescu Biography. 2013)
(Nicolae Ceausescu. 2014)
Historical/Political Aspect •1989
▫Nicolae was overthrown and executed▫Fall of the communist reign
•1990▫Child Welfare Reform Act
•2000▫International adoption suspension
•2001▫ "institutional" care to "family" care
(Child Welfare in Romania. 2006)(Nicolae Ceausescu Biography. 2013)(Nicolae Ceausescu. 2014)
Historical Aspect •2005 Child Right Laws
▫Best interest of the child ▫The right to life and development ▫Nondiscrimination ▫The right to free opinion
(Child Welfare in Romania. 2006)(Nicolae Ceausescu Biography. 2013)(Nicolae Ceausescu. 2014)
(Romania-insider, 2013)
Cultural Aspect•Romanian culture has been shaped by its
leaders▫Nicolae Ceausescu 1967-1989
Laws created to build a large population Abortions and birth control were banned
•Confusion of responsibility▫Parents were encouraged to place children
in institutions Economic and social issues(Culture of Romania, 2014)
(Hughes 2013)(Rus, et al. 2011)
Design Aspect• Documentaries
▫The harsh conditions of Romania displayed through art The ABC 20/20 documentary Documentaries about
resiliency • Music
▫Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal Charity album
(Nobody’s Child: Romanian Angel Appeal, 2014)
Artists: Van Morrison, Elton John, Traveling Wilburys, and Stevie Wonder
(Nobody’s Child: Romanian Angel Appeal, 2014)
Economical Aspect•Communist Party
▫Complete control of economy•Paying off debt
▫Shortages in food and services•Nationalized Economy
▫Rural to urban• Black Market
(Romania during Ceausescu’s Dictatorship, n.d.)(Culture of Romania, 2014)
Economical Aspect•After Nicolae
▫Slow increase in economy•9 million employed workers
▫Service▫Agricultural▫Industry
(Romania during Ceausescu’s Dictatorship, n.d.)(Culture of Romania, 2014)
(Antena3, 2013)
Environmental Aspect•Romania’s Environment
▫Heavy pollution▫Numerous floods and earthquakes▫Acidic rain ▫Causing degradation of soil
(Environment Romania. 2014)
(About romania, n.d.)
Environmental Aspect cont’•Orphanage Environment
▫Understaffed▫Overcrowded▫No sanitation▫Abuse is rampant
(Romanian Orphan Ministries, Inc. 2014)
(Zoevolunteer, 2009)
Health Interventions• Current Organizations/Programs
▫Kootenay Romania Relief Organization Canada Re-built the infrastructure of an orphanage
▫(Kootenay Romanian Relief Organization Canada. n.d.) ▫Firm Foundations Romania
Aid abandon orphans Programs to teach life lessons
▫(Firm Foundations Romania. 2014)▫Romanian Orphan Ministries
Saturday Out Program Apartment Transition Program
▫(Romanian Orphan Ministries, Inc. 2014)
Health Interventions• Current Organizations/Programs
▫ Hope & Homes for Children “Deinstitutionalisation” Develop services to support vulnerable families
▫(Hope and Homes for Children. 2013)▫ H2H
Share God's love with the poor and orphans▫ (Romanian Orphans. 2014)
Social Media•Romanian Orphans Ministries
▫Facebook https://
www.facebook.com/pages/Romanian-Orphan-Ministries-Inc/102857034126
•My story: Romanian Orphans▫Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/romaniasorphans
MOOCs• Vanderbilt University: Nutrition, Health, and
Lifestyle: Issues and Insights
• John Hopkins School of Public Health: Community Change in Public Health
• University of Florida: Economic Issues, Food & You
• University of Pennsylvania: Rationing and Allocating Scarce Medical Resources
ReferencesBucharest Early Intervention Project. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from
http://www.bucharestearlyinterventionproject.org/
Child Welfare in Romania. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.copii.ro/Files/NAPCR_brochure_200744184931.pdf
Children’s Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.sos-usa.org/about-sos/what-we-do/orphan-statistics/pages/global-orphan-statistics.aspx
Culture of Romania: history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Romania.html#ixzz2wRsJEofq
Culture of Romania: history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Romania.html#ixzz2wRsJEofq
Environment Romania. (2014). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Romania-ENVIRONMENT.html
Firm Foundations Romania. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.firmfoundationsromania.com/
References"Given Our Chance" Trailer [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/CqGibIEruxI
Here I Am Orphan Ministries. (2013). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.orphanministries.com/statistics.html
Hope and Homes for Children. (2013). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.hopeandhomes.org/
Hughes. (2013). The Orphanage Problem. Retrieved from http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/31/the-orphanage-problem/
John Upton 20/20 Part 1 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ISSgupUtpU
Kootenay Romanian Relief Organization Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://romanianrelief.com/
Nicolae Ceausescu. (2014). New York Times: times topics. Retrieved fromm http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/nicolae_ceausescu/
Nicolae Ceausescu Biography. (2013). BIO. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/nicolae-ceausescu-38355
ReferencesNobody’s Child: Romanian Angel Appeal. (2014). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nobody%27s_Child:_Romanian_Angel_Appeal& oldid=544479517
Romania during Ceausescu’s Dictatorship. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.procesulcomunismului.com/marturii/fonduri/mmioc/anticomrev/docs/02.htm
Romania Geography. (2012). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from
http://www.aboutromania.com/geography.html
Romanian Orphans. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.h2hint.org/
Romanian Orphan Ministries, Inc. (2014). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.romanianorphanministries.com/
Rus, Parris, Cross, Purvis,Simona. (2011). Reforming the Romanian Child Welfare System:1990 - 2010. Retrieved from http://www.rcis.ro/images/documente/rcis34_04.pdf
The appalling situation of Romania’s institutionalized children: From Ceausescu to today. (2012). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/05/roma-m23.html
Writer, S. P., LiveScience Senior. (2012). Early Neglect Alters Kids’ Brains. LiveScience.com. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.livescience.com/21778-early-neglect-alter- kids-brains.html