AMURTEL Family Children’s Home
The AMURTEL Family children’s home opened in 1995 and has since served 20 children that are now adults, many with families of their own. There is currently a new group of twelve children from 5 to 17 years of age growing up in AMURTEL. We provide them a warm safe family-style home, nutritious food, and most importantly, loving, attentive and experienced caregivers.
Fountain of Hope After School Center
In the same rural village, AMURTEL Romania also runs the Fountain of Hope After School Center. Here 30 schoolchildren, who are facing neglect, hunger and early drop-out, can get the support they need to stay in school and stay in their families. At the Fountain of Hope children receive hot meals, psycho-social counseling, educational support, and lots of fun childhood activities such as sports, arts and music. Here we are breaking the cycle of poverty by helping children to succeed and dream higher!
Poverty and alcoholism lead to neglect
Despite the great strides of progress that Romania has made since the fall of communism, there are still 46 percent of all children living in poverty, especially in the rural areas. Although Romania entered the EU in 2006, rural areas lag behind, even in offering basic modern infrastructure such as running water and flush toilets. There are few local job opportunities, and high rates of alcoholism and domestic violence. Child abuse and neglect are, unfortunately, far too common.
Transforming a child’s future
At AMURTEL Family Children’s Home or the Fountain of Health After School Center, we can transform the life of a child, offering new opportunities, support, and hope to those like Geani, whose early years were spent in poverty, insecurity, hunger and violence.
Vistara House
Some of the children that grew up in AMURTEL Family had intellectual disabilities that make it unrealistic for them to live completely independently. As there is a lack of semi-independent residential projects for young adults with special needs and without families, AMURTEL opened a house for them next to the children’s home. Presently there are two adults with a dignified home, and the support they need to live as independently and fully as possible.
Amurtel’s Organic Farm
AMURTEL also runs an organic farm nearby, which provides fresh vegetables and fruits to the children in the two social projects, as well as for a group of consumers in Bucharest. The farm is run according to the community supported agriculture model. We welcome volunteers to work on the farm, alongside the local women that run the project.
