Recognizing the fact that education is an integral part of any development effort and that access to education means stopping the cycle of poverty, ADRA Romania carries out projects that support the educational process, while also promoting equal opportunities. Within the project "I want to go to school!" , ADRA Romania offers the beneficiary children basic food (for the duration of the school year) and, periodically, hygiene kits, supplies, and, sometimes, clothing or shoes, depending on the identified needs.
Through the project "I want to go to school!" ADRA Romania fights against premature school departure, trying to help overcome two difficult thresholds that children encounter: entering middle school and entering high school. ADRA beneficiaries are identified through partnerships with local town halls and through the close collaboration of local ADRA volunteers with the directors of educational units in the area.
The specific objectives of this project are counseling and material support of disadvantaged families in order to motivate children to participate in the education process; the permanent optimization of students' motivation for learning as well as the development of self-esteem; supporting children in instructive-educational activities and providing support for overcoming certain difficulties or limitations in the learning activity; developing partnerships between non-governmental organizations, state institutions and companies in order to implement projects that contribute to reducing the school dropout rate.
"School dropout remains a challenge in Romanian society, and I am glad that ADRA Romania has chosen to invest in education this year as well”, said Gabriela Istrate, ADRA Romania project manager. “For the 2023-2024 school year, we set out to bring joy, hope, and the prospect of a better future to 510 children from all areas of the country. The project "I want to go to school!" is a project that demands a lot from us financially, as an organization, but it remains the practical way in which ADRA Romania fights for an educated Romania”, concluded Istrate.
In the 2023-2024 school year, nationally, 510 students from Banat, Bucovina, Crisana, Dobrogea, Maramureș, Moldova, Muntenia, Oltenia, and Transylvania are supported by dozens of sponsors and volunteers, as part of the "I want to go to school!" project.
The project “I want to go to school!” implemented by ADRA Romania is a project with national coverage, which addresses children with good academic results, but who face the risk of dropping out of school due to difficult situations in the families they come from.
ADRA Romania
Since 1990, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Romania - ADRA Romania - has been particularly involved in development projects that benefit the entire population. Conducting itself in the projects undertaken according to the motto "Justice. Compassion. Love.", ADRA Romania brings joy and hope to the lives of beneficiaries by promoting a better future, values, and human dignity.
As an accredited social service provider, ADRA Romania is part of the ADRA International network, the global humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, one of the most widespread non-governmental organizations in the world. It is active in more than 118 countries and guided by a philosophy that combines compassion with a practical spirit, addressing people in need, without racial, ethnic, political or religious distinctions, with the aim of serving humanity so that all may live together as God intended.
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