Social services offered to communities in Bihor Count, Romania do not always meet the needs of the communities, leaving people in difficulty with no access or limited access to services. Children from large or single-parent families, who are abused and have learning problems or disabilities, frequently become the victims of social neglect.
Teodora Negru, a beneficiary of the Romanian Foundation for Children, Community and Family, became a volunteer social worker for a social services community project funded by USAID. Over a period of twelve months, the project assisted 327 children at risk and 145 parents with the help of fifteen volunteers and seventeen specialists in Bihor County. The program focuses on assistance for severely disadvantaged children, offering extra help with homework, as well as providing counseling services for both children and their families.
As a result of this initiative, students who have dropped out of school go back through a comprehensive system which includes psychological counseling, as well as medical and legal assistance. This program offers disenfranchised children in Bihor an opportunity to continue their studies and find adequate jobs, just as it helped Teodora.
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