Adele Rickerby's Blog, page 11
October 1, 2016
U.N.I.C.E.F in Romania; Education
BUCHAREST, 16 September 2016 – During 15 September – 15 October 2016, Carrefour and UNICEF in Romania continue their efforts to support education, for the third consecutive year, by organizing a fundraising campaign. Carrefour customers shopping in the 30 hypermarkets available all over the country can choose to donate 1 leu at the cashier and help disadvantaged children to attend school and receive a quality inclusive education.
In Romania, around 300,000 children are out of school and one out of five children fails to complete eight years of study. Moreover, nearly 40% of the 15 year-old students were assessed as functionally illiterate, according to the 2012 PISA test results. The children most at risk of dropping out of school are those from poor families, Roma communities, rural areas and children with disabilities.
In response to these issues, UNICEF and its partners has been testing the Quality Inclusive Education Package in 45 schools from Bacău county. This package addresses both the quality of education and the school participation of all children, especially vulnerable ones. It includes child-centred interventions at school, family and community levels. The education package is universal, as all students and all schools can benefit from the respective interventions which focus on preventing non-enrolment, absenteeism, dropout and early school leaving, as well as on increasing learning outcomes and competencies.
“This school year as well, we continue to support children and their families to confidently access education. The best way to succeed in life is through education, however many children are hindered by poverty, their biggest challenge. We are happy to join UNICEF once again in its effort to provide these children with a chance to enjoy a better life, including an affordable and quality education. The UNICEF endeavour allows us yet again to prove that we are a lasting partner in providing support to the local communities we work in. The fundraising campaign is based on our customers’ generosity in giving one leu at the cashier and coming to the aid of children and their families”, said Andreea Mihai, Marketing&Communication, PR&Solidarity, Trade Dynamics&Pricing Director, Carrefour Romania.
The fundraising campaign benefits from the support of Ms. Andreea Marin, National Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in Romania.
“Results in education are visible in the long term and sustained investment is required to generate change. We are happy that, each year, Carrefour and its customers support vulnerable children’s participation to quality education. In schools in Bacău county, I have met children, parents and teachers who are proof that improved child education is the result of a partnership between school, family and community”, said Ms. Despina Andrei, Communication and Fundraising Manager, UNICEF in Romania.
Funds raised through this campaign will go to strengthening the capacity of the school management and teachers to support each and every child, according to their needs; improving teaching methods and tools; partnering with families and increasing parental skills; mobilising communities to support education; enhancing children’s non-cognitive skills and motivation; encouraging diversity of students regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, (dis)ability and socio-economic background. The objective is to ensure that every child enrols in school at an early age, learns to the maximum of his/her potential, and is prepared for the labour market and active citizenship.
Carrefour is one of UNICEF in Romania’s long-term partners and, over the years, Carrefour customers have helped 15,000 children from 32 schools to receive education as part of the School Attendance Initiative. Thus, in some of the schools, all children succeeded in completing the courses, while the dropout rate went down to 0%.
***
About Carrefour:
With over 10,100 stores in 34 countries, the Carrefour Group is the second largest world retailer and the number one retailer in Europe. For more than 50 years, Carrefour has been a partner in one’s daily life. Every day, the retail group welcomes to its stores more than 10 million customers worldwide, providing them with a wide choice of products and services at fair prices.
In Romania, Carrefour Group includes 281 retail stores of which 30 ‘Carrefour’ hypermarkets, 111 ‘Market’ supermarkets, 43 ‘Express’ convenience stores, 10 ‘Contact’ convenience stores, one online store (www.carrefour-online.ro) and 86 Billa stores.
About UNICEF in Romania
UNICEF is present and active in Romania and in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. In Romania, UNICEF works closely with key stakeholders such as the Government, Parliament, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, national and international partners and the media to provide all children with access to quality early and school education, to protect adolescents and monitor child rights, to ensure social protection and leverage resources for children.
U.N.I.C.E.F in Romania-Adoption Procedures
The number of forms to be processed was halved, some of which were simplified
Today, 17 August 2016, the National Authority for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption (NAPCRA), with the support of UNICEF in Romania, held a media briefing on the recent changes and additions to Law 273/2004 regarding adoption procedures and related methodological norms.
The event was attended by: Ms. Oana Țoiu, Secretary of State/Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and the Elderly, Ms. Gabriela Coman, President of the National Authority for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption, and Ms. Sandie Blanchet, UNICEF Representative in Romania, as well as representatives of local and central authorities involved in the adoption process.
“Any child’s place is with a family and it is our duty to do everything we can to speed up and simplify the process through which more and more children in state care are placed with a loving and protecting family. This is what we have been aiming to accomplish through the recent regulations – eliminating any red tape that could hinder the adoption process for children and any forms that could challenge a family’s hopes for a quick onset of the adoption procedure. I would like to thank all those who contributed throughout the law amendment process and I believe that it is worth all our efforts to provide children who have no home with the chance to enjoy parental love”, said Gabriela COMAN, NAPCRA President.
During the meeting, participants tackled the main revisions to the law, such as: the number of forms used in the adoption procedure was reduced by half (whether by taking them out completely or combining them) while some of the forms retained were simplified, the mandatory requirement to submit workplace references was dropped, the mandatory requirement for adopting parents to submit the full documentation when lodging their adoption request was also dropped, and a profile of the ‘hard to place’ child was introduced in order to increase the chances of finding these children a home.
“We commend Romania for improving its legislation on child adoption, including through innovative measures like introducing the profile of ‘hard to place’ children. UNICEF will continue to support NAPCRA in its development of services at local level to prevent child-family separation, such as the Minimum Package of Services”, said Sandie BLANCHET, UNICEF Representative in Romania.
To date, in our country, there are around 58,000 children in child care, of which 3,250 are adoptable. 46% of the adoptable children are aged between 7 and 13, and more than 21% have some form of disability.
September 14, 2016
Love Light Romania – Summer Program
For more information about the Summer Program and other activities and projects that Love Light Romania hold throughout the year, please visit their website.
Love Light Romania- Summer Program
For more information about the Summer Program and other activities and projects that Love Light Romania hold throughout the year, please visit their website.
Stray Dogs in Romania – Animal Welfare
The problem of stray dogs in Romania is a huge one and there is an overwhelming need for new and better dog shelters.
As well as all the other wonderful projects that they have going, Robert Rowe at Love Light Romania would like to build a dog shelter.
The dog shelter would also provide much needed jobs for disadvantaged youths and teach them animal husbandry skills.
If you, or anyone you know is able to help make this project a success, please contact Robert at; rob@lovelightromania.com
Stray Dogs in Romania; Animal Rights
The problem of stray dogs in Romania is a huge one and there is an overwhelming need for new and better dog shelters.
As well as all the other wonderful projects that they have going, Robert Rowe at Love Light Romania would like to build a dog shelter.
The dog shelter would also provide much needed jobs for disadvantaged youths and teach them animal husbandry skills.
If you, or anyone you know is able to help make this project a success, please contact Robert at; rob@lovelightromania.com
Romania- Ethical Adoptions
Amendments to Romania’s adoption legislation, specifically Law nr237/204, finalised early in 2015, appear from the following graphs, to have resulted in a significant increase in the number of children declared available for domestic and international adoption. The changes were designed to simplify the adoption process for prospective adoptive parents and the process by which a child is considered to be in need of being adopted.
June-2016
Of the 3,734,667 copii living in Romania, 57,581 were living in the child protection system, either in institutions or in private foster care.
3,250 of these copii were declared able to be adopted. Of these, 2,716 were declared able to be adopted domestically and the remaining 534 were declared able to be adopted internationally. One would hope that, when N.A.C.P.A. – Romania’s National Authority For Child Protection and Adoption, release thier latest figures on actual adoptions that were finalised, the figures will reflect an increase in both domestic and international adoptions. 
Romania- Adoptions
Amendments to Romania’s adoption legislation, specifically Law nr237/204, finalised early in 2015, appear from the following graphs, to have resulted in a significant increase in the number of children declared available for domestic and international adoption. The changes were designed to simplify the adoption process for prospective adoptive parents and the process by which a child is considered to be in need of being adopted.
June-2016
Of the 3,734,667 copii living in Romania, 57,581 were living in the child protection system, either in institutions or in private foster care.
3,250 of these copii were declared able to be adopted. Of these, 2,716 were declared able to be adopted domestically and the remaining 534 were declared able to be adopted internationally. One would hope that, when N.A.C.P.A. – Romania’s National Authority For Child Protection and Adoption, release thier latest figures on actual adoptions that were finalised, the figures will reflect an increase in both domestic and international adoptions.
September 2, 2016
UNICEF in Romania- Minimum Package of Social Services
Minister of Labour, Dragoș Pîslaru, visits Bacău to learn about the Minimum Package of Social Services for children and their families currently being implemented by UNICEF
BUCHAREST, 1 July 2016 – Today, on 1 July, Mr. Dragoș Pîslaru, Minister of Labour, Family, Social Protection and the Elderly, and Ms. Gabriela Coman, President of the National Authority for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption, together with UNICEF Romania representatives visited Lipova and Colonești communities of Bacău county to learn about the implementation of The Minimum Package of Services for children and their families, a UNICEF model intervention, and whether such services could be scaled up nationally.
Concretely, this package consists of community-based services in health, social protection and education. It is universal, as every family can access it, but it focuses on the most vulnerable children and their families.
The Minimum Package of Services also includes a strong prevention component. It requires the presence in each community of at least a social worker, a community nurse and a school counsellor. Together they help vulnerable children and their families to assess their needs and to provide tailored support. For best results, these three professionals closely collaborate and work with local stakeholders such as the mayoralty, NGOs and other community partners.
“Integrated community-based services are a cross-ministry priority action for the current Government, part of the Integrated Package of Measures Against Poverty and of the National Strategy for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction. This action is designed with and for community people, aiming to prevent and mitigate the set of vulnerabilities encountered at individual, family and community level. We wish to ensure that the implementation process is founded on an accurate understanding of the concrete real life problems people face locally – which is why we seek to learn from similar models already developed. The UNICEF intervention model and the AURORA software application are an excellent starting point. We are happy to be here today among the people of Lipova and Colonești, in Bacău county, and to have the opportunity to understand how this model works for them and how it could be scaled up nationwide, for all marginalized communities. We are on the field visit today together with representatives of five ministries, as well as Mr. Sorin Brașoveanu, President of Bacău County Council”, said Minister Dragoș Pîslaru.
The representatives of the central and county authorities present at the event in Bacău discussed with local authorities, professionals, as well as several families about how specifically the Minimum Package of Services improved the lives of vulnerable children – from easier access to health care services and first-time school registration, to obtaining birth or disability certificates. Discussions also underlined the challenges related to the implementation of these services locally, particularly in the disadvantaged rural areas.
“UNICEF values the Government commitment to ensure that all vulnerable groups receive an integrated package of social services which brings together the social protection, health and education sectors. We hope that our experience in developing and testing such services for children and their families serves as a source of good practices, methods and tools that can be adopted at national level. UNICEF is prepared to support the Government efforts towards scaling up integrated services nationwide”, said Sandie Blanchet, UNICEF Representative in Romania.
A 5.3 million Euro budget is allocated for the implementation of the Minimum Package of Services which is part of the intervention model “Social inclusion through the provision of integrated services at community level” – Community-based Services for Children, an initiative funded by Norway Grants (3.3 million Euro) and UNICEF own funds (2 million Euros).
Through the model tested in the 45 communities in Bacău, UNICEF Romania helps 53,000 children, including by providing social and health care services to 19,000 children and ensuring access to quality inclusive education for 21,000 children.
At the same time, the public policies, norms and standards to be developed based on the lessons learnt in the implementation of this model will support 4 million children in Romania and their families.
Joining the two visiting officials in Bacău were the president of Bacău County Council, Mr. Sorin Brașoveanu, as well as representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of European Funds.
About UNICEF Romania
Resources
Contact us
Legal
UNICEF global site
UNICEF in Romania- Bridging the Gap
Minister of Labour, Dragoș Pîslaru, visits Bacău to learn about the Minimum Package of Social Services for children and their families currently being implemented by UNICEF
BUCHAREST, 1 July 2016 – Today, on 1 July, Mr. Dragoș Pîslaru, Minister of Labour, Family, Social Protection and the Elderly, and Ms. Gabriela Coman, President of the National Authority for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption, together with UNICEF Romania representatives visited Lipova and Colonești communities of Bacău county to learn about the implementation of The Minimum Package of Services for children and their families, a UNICEF model intervention, and whether such services could be scaled up nationally.
Concretely, this package consists of community-based services in health, social protection and education. It is universal, as every family can access it, but it focuses on the most vulnerable children and their families.
The Minimum Package of Services also includes a strong prevention component. It requires the presence in each community of at least a social worker, a community nurse and a school counsellor. Together they help vulnerable children and their families to assess their needs and to provide tailored support. For best results, these three professionals closely collaborate and work with local stakeholders such as the mayoralty, NGOs and other community partners.
“Integrated community-based services are a cross-ministry priority action for the current Government, part of the Integrated Package of Measures Against Poverty and of the National Strategy for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction. This action is designed with and for community people, aiming to prevent and mitigate the set of vulnerabilities encountered at individual, family and community level. We wish to ensure that the implementation process is founded on an accurate understanding of the concrete real life problems people face locally – which is why we seek to learn from similar models already developed. The UNICEF intervention model and the AURORA software application are an excellent starting point. We are happy to be here today among the people of Lipova and Colonești, in Bacău county, and to have the opportunity to understand how this model works for them and how it could be scaled up nationwide, for all marginalized communities. We are on the field visit today together with representatives of five ministries, as well as Mr. Sorin Brașoveanu, President of Bacău County Council”, said Minister Dragoș Pîslaru.
The representatives of the central and county authorities present at the event in Bacău discussed with local authorities, professionals, as well as several families about how specifically the Minimum Package of Services improved the lives of vulnerable children – from easier access to health care services and first-time school registration, to obtaining birth or disability certificates. Discussions also underlined the challenges related to the implementation of these services locally, particularly in the disadvantaged rural areas.
“UNICEF values the Government commitment to ensure that all vulnerable groups receive an integrated package of social services which brings together the social protection, health and education sectors. We hope that our experience in developing and testing such services for children and their families serves as a source of good practices, methods and tools that can be adopted at national level. UNICEF is prepared to support the Government efforts towards scaling up integrated services nationwide”, said Sandie Blanchet, UNICEF Representative in Romania.
A 5.3 million Euro budget is allocated for the implementation of the Minimum Package of Services which is part of the intervention model “Social inclusion through the provision of integrated services at community level” – Community-based Services for Children, an initiative funded by Norway Grants (3.3 million Euro) and UNICEF own funds (2 million Euros).
Through the model tested in the 45 communities in Bacău, UNICEF Romania helps 53,000 children, including by providing social and health care services to 19,000 children and ensuring access to quality inclusive education for 21,000 children.
At the same time, the public policies, norms and standards to be developed based on the lessons learnt in the implementation of this model will support 4 million children in Romania and their families.
Joining the two visiting officials in Bacău were the president of Bacău County Council, Mr. Sorin Brașoveanu, as well as representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of European Funds.
About UNICEF Romania
Resources
Contact us
Legal
UNICEF global site
