Education has an essential role in the development of children, influencing not only their academic development but also the formation of personality, values, and social skills. Therefore, ADRA Romania recognizes the fact that education is an integral part of any development effort, and that access to education means stopping the cycle of poverty by carrying out projects that support the educational process, while also promoting equal opportunities.
In Romania, school dropout represents a social, sensitive, and urgent problem because the statistics of recent years are not gratifying. Even though education is compulsory in Romania up to the twelfth grade, tens of thousands of students drop out of school every year.
The reasons why students drop out of school are mainly determined by the environment in which they grow up, in which multiple factors can be identified: poverty, family instability, health problems, a faulty teacher-student relationship, lack of motivation and role models, and so on. For these reasons, children lose the chance for professional development, a fact that prevents them in the long term from integrating into the labor market and, implicitly, results in losing the opportunity to keep up with the development of the society in which they live.
ADRA project "I want to go to school!" is a project with national coverage which targets children who have good academic results but face the risk of dropping out of school, due to difficult situations in the families they come from. Through this project, ADRA Romania fights against premature school dropout, offering children the chance for a better future, while also promoting equal opportunities.
The main activities within the "I want to go to school" project are: distribution of necessary educational supplies to the children who have been selected as beneficiaries (a schoolbag equipped with supplies in September and a second set of supplies in the middle of the school year); the distribution of basic food for the beneficiary children and their families (every month, during the entire school year); the periodic distribution of hygiene kits, as well as clothing and footwear, depending on the identified needs; counseling for parents in order to motivate them to support the children's education process; training and education activities for teachers from the schools involved in the project, with which ADRA Romania has a collaboration protocol, in order to improve the teacher-student relationship; the organization of periodic meetings with the aim of developing the self-esteem of students from vulnerable backgrounds, accomplished through discussions about their future plans and guidance towards achieving the objectives; the organization of free camps, during the holidays, for award-winning children who achieved great results at the end of the school year.
"School dropout is a complex problem facing Romania and is closely related to social, motivational, and even family factors that go beyond the educational area,” said Gabriela Istrate, ADRA Romania project manager.
“It is true that dropping out of school primarily has repercussions on the child who risks irreversibly compromising his future, but the consequences of this phenomenon reverberate through society in general. I am happy that ADRA Romania has chosen to invest in education, again, this year and will bring hope and joy to the hearts of children,” shared Istrate, concluding, “We are moving forward with excitement, but also with the confidence that God will provide us with the necessary resources for this new school year, and I have all the respect for the sponsors and volunteers who are with us in this project.”
In the 2024–2025 school year, on a national level, ADRA Romania’s involvement in the project "I want to go to school!" supports 502 students from Banat, Bucovina, Crișana, Dobrogea, Maramureș, Moldova, Muntenia, Oltenia, and Transylvania, all of whom have good academic results and are struggling to overcome their condition through education. Beneficiaries are identified through the partnerships that ADRA Romania has with schools in the area and local town halls. This education project is one that demands a lot from us financially, as an organization, but we continue to invest in the education and future of these children, wanting to bring joy and added value to their lives.
ADRA Romania supports education!
ADRA’s project "I want to go to school!" supports good, hardworking students who are appreciated by the local authorities and earn good academic results, even though they come from vulnerable families and are constantly under threat of dropping out of school.
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