ne of the most populous countries of Eastern Europe, Romania has a rich and complex history. Its culture has evolved over centuries and is a product of many conquering tribes and empires whose civilizations eventually blended together. Since the overthrow of Nicolae Ceausescu and the communist system in 1989, Romania has struggled to restructure its political, economic, and social institutions into free and democratic establishments.

Peace Corps programming in Romania began in 1991, when 18 trainees arrived to initiate an orphanage project. Peace Corps/Romania has four program sectors: community economic development; environmental management and education; institutional development; and teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL).

Community Economic Development

Volunteers work with their Romanian partners to help communities participate successfully in the global economy and upgrade their standard of living. Volunteers work with city halls, municipal and county councils, local development agencies, business support organizations, high schools, and universities. This sector is expanding into farm management and agribusiness, as agriculture is a significant component of the Romanian economy.

Environmental Management and Education

Volunteers work with community and regional environmental organizations, schools, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in a long-term effort to develop environmental education programs for students and adults. They also facilitate cooperation among local and national NGOs, local government officials, and communities to increase public awareness and involvement in local environmental issues.

Institutional Development

Working with both governmental and nongovernmental organizations, Volunteers support local networking coalitions and sustainable partnership development. Volunteers work toward improving the quality and impact of services for youth and marginalized populations by establishing and strengthening local organizational capacity. Volunteers work with ethnic minorities and with a variety of organizations focused on HIV-positive children and other disadvantaged groups. Some of them also provide information technology (IT) support to the institutions where they work.

English Language Education

In response to the demand for qualified English teachers in Romania, the Peace Corps, along with Romania's Ministry of Education and Research, developed an English program for secondary schools. Volunteers focus on improving students' communication skills and developing better English language teaching and learning materials.