Romania Appeal
Holistic Care for Ukrainian kids at The Joy Centre, Romania
Supporting Ukrainian refugee children in Romania
£63,641 to go
Target: £111,342
Thank you to ...
Ebenezer Gospel Hall who donated
£500Fair Goals Communications who donated
£100Mr Wilson who donated
£20G Wood who donated
£40urgent support is required
The Joy Centre in Romania is a safe and nurturing space for Ukrainian children who have fled the war with their families. These children have witnessed horrific events, the loss of loved ones, the wickedness of war, families torn apart, homes destroyed and more.
We are providing childcare, education and trauma care for 68 children, and holistic care for their families. We cannot continue this work without you.
The war is not over.
These families are struggling.
By donating, you can help these 68 children and their families throughout 2025. We can make a difference.
Can you help?
project overview
Our impact
Supporting Ukrainian refugee children in Romania
Pastors Paola and Florin have been supporting Ukrainian refugees in their community since the onset of the war. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians fled to Romania, and our partners initially responded with emergency care providing transport, food, accommodation and basic medical care. With the war continuing, some have moved to new locations, but many have remained in Sighisoara where our partners are based.
As we know, it has mostly been women who have fled with their children, their nieces and nephews, neighbour's children and more. We are working with families who are responsible for up to 18 children! How can a mother work and provide for all these children as she also settles into a new community? Can we be the community stepping up to support these families?
We have heard terrible stories about what many of these children have witnessed in the horrors of war. Some children have had trouble sleeping, others refuse to speak and others are having behavioural problems. This is unsurprising given their trauma. But it doesn't have to continue, through trauma counselling and therapeutic sessions we are seeing change. And we desperately want that change for these children.
Please help us bring change for these families, please donate to help us run The Joy Centre.
£15
can buy new art and craft materials
£32.35
can provide a week's worth of nutritious lunches for three Ukrainian teens
£150
can help pay the monthly rent for our kindergarten premises
the difference international needs uk can make
Making a difference
Kindergarten providing therapeutic activities and trauma care
Helping kids continue their education despite the disruption of war
Community building and provision of a safe space
stories
Angelina, 14, lived in Odesa region with her mother and grandmother, who abused alcohol. At the beginning of the war, she was taken away from her family and went initially to Bulgaria to claim asylum.
Angelina arrived in Romania with her foster family and a few days later learned that her mother had died of alcohol poisoning. Living in a family that abused alcohol, being removed from the family, living in a foster home, and forced emigration was understandably a traumatic series of events.
Thanks to IN Romania, Angelina received qualified psychological help and educational assistance. She was withdrawn, had no friends, could not trust anyone, and did not want to make contact with adults and children.
Thanks to the programme and qualified help, Angelina’s life is gradually returning to normal. She likes art classes and cooking most of all. She is now fluent in Romanian and easily understands the material, which means that her emotional wellbeing is improving.
She made friends through the teenage meeting programme among both Ukrainian and Romanian youth, ensuring lasting relationships that will help them all through this challenging and isolating time.
How we spend your money
For every £1 you donate to this appeal, we will allocate 25p of your donation to cover general support and running costs. There is a small chance that we will raise more money than is needed for this appeal. If this happens, we'll spend any additional funds on other International Needs projects – wherever the need is greatest.
donateproject updates
January 01st 2025