Romania: Don’t let my mommy leave me!

World Vision Romania launched two fundraising campaigns in mid September that address the issues of child abandonment and education. The campaigns reflect World Vision Romania's increased commitment to developing its local capacity to raise funds.

With the slogan, 'Don't let my mummy leave me!' one campaign aims to raise awareness and funds for preventing child abandonment in maternity wards. In Romania, 4,000 children were abandoned in medical wards in 2004, according to a UNICEF study in 2005.

The campaign is taking place in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, and consists of six outdoor banners placed in frequented areas of Bucharest and 100 posters placed in metros, buses and tramways. The printing and posting of these materials was free as part of a national programme supported by the Romanian Government.

The second campaign is organized in partnership with Eurisko, one of the largest real estate companies in Romania. This campaign aims to raise funds to support 50 children in the 8th or 9th grade to continue high school education. The children selected by World Vision for the scholarship program are good students that come from poor families in the rural areas of Romania where World Vision runs community development projects.

The campaign involved a fundraising event with special guests such as Al Di Meola, a famous jazzman, and national celebrities.

'I am really impressed to see the response of Romanians, who are eager and willing to give 30 EUR a month to help children go to high school', said Violeta Moisa. 'We strongly believe that educating children out of poverty is the most powerful and successful way to impact children's lives and transform communities.'

A lack of high schools in the rural areas, a lack of transportation to urban high schools, poor conditions in the schools in the rural areas (70% of the schools in Romania are heated with wood or coal), and the low incomes of rural families are just some of the reasons that keep children from continuing their education and striving for a better future.

Less than 37% of the children in rural areas continued high-school studies, while less than 25% continued Vocational Professional School studies in the 2004 / 2005 school year, according to a Report on the State of the Romanian Education System issued in 2005 by the Ministry of Education and Research. The report also shows that the Romanian education system suffers from 'chronic under funding' and that Romania invests less in education than the majority of European countries.