October 2024

Reaching Out Romania Update

After 25 years, a shift in focus for ROR

Reaching Out Romania (ROR) has chosen to shift its focus away from the full-time shelter, the home that provided direct assistance and a place of restoration to the girls, the victims of human trafficking. Director Iana Matei will move towards a more expanded level of preventative care and consulting on behalf of these victims. One reason for the change was the ongoing difficulty to retain qualified social workers. Though there were teary moments from the girls, Iana, and the care workers, the girls have been well-placed with appropriate family members or care within the Child Protection agency.

Prevention & Restoration

ROR will continue to work in anti-trafficking. Over the next weeks, Iana will explore and prayerfully consider various opportunities.

  • She has been asked to train social workers in multiple counties so their effectiveness to prevent and to restore victims of human trafficking is increased.
  • She met with the mayor of Predesți, a small town in Craiova close to the ROR lavender farm. He has offered his support and that of three other near-by communities to begin an afterschool center for vulnerable children to help break the cycle of abuse, abandonment, and trafficking.
  • Iana is in conversations with the Ministry of Health in Bucharest and a psychiatrist, who works nearby, to develop integrated centers that will provide holistic support for children with complex, behavioural issues.

Broader Effectiveness

Thank you for your continued interest and support of Reaching Out Romania. It is so needed and so appreciated. Going forward, we do believe that ROR will have an even greater and broader effectiveness. We believe that even more children will be prevented from becoming victims of trafficking. We believe that vulnerable children with deep psychological needs can be more successfully restored through integrated centers of service. We believe that focusing on this choice, ROR will further the anti-trafficking effort in Romania and throughout Europe.

Mayor of Predești and CEO of the ‘Association for Development and Psychotherapy through Action’ discuss a program to provide nutrition, personal development and sport activities for vulnerable children in the Craiova area.

Last visit to the ROR shelter

Facilities available for an after-school program

Plans still ahead

Please take a moment to watch 2 short video clips.

Iana speaks of the plans still ahead.

When speaking with Iana she mentioned how God reminded her of when she first moved from Australia back to Romania. “God had a beautiful plan ahead then,” she said, “and I’m sure that He has a wonderful plan ahead now."

Ștefan Matei has compiled a photo presentation of the girls who were in the shelter home.