Healing the Soul

HUŞI, also known as “the city among the vineyards” due to its location in the centre of a wine-growing region of Romania, is an important area for wine production, an industry that once supported the families in the area. “Now, one of the major plagues of this city is alcohol dependence,” explains Sister Irina Cata, manager of the Saint Anthony Day Centre for children. “There are families in a situation of severe poverty with relatively low financial capacity, a high number of unemployed, parents without work or with alcohol problems, and levels of international migration that are difficult to quantify due to a lack of legal forms of employment and residence.”

Integral development

It is against this background that The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Assisi set up and have been running the Saint Anthony Day Centre for the last 22 years. Its main purpose is to prevent school dropouts. It opens its doors to the neediest of children. “A selection is made each year, taking into account not only material poverty, but also social, psychological and emotional poverty,” says Sr. Irina. “We carry out a personalised and integrated approach, trying to intervene both directly in the child’s situation and in the family situation.” The centre pays special attention to studying, which includes school homework and intellectual development. It also emphasises emotional and relational dimensions to overcome behavioural difficulties through personal and group accompaniment, recreational and social activities, organised and spontaneous games, and celebrations. “It is important for the children to learn and manage their feelings and emotions,” continues Sr. Irina. “We aim to provide civic education, hygiene, music and drawing, all for the integral development of the child.”

Dysfunctional families

The majority of the children who attend the day centre are from single-parent families, divorced or separated parents, and often from immigrant families. The children are first to fourth graders from three schools in the town and, says Sr. Irina, “they come with joy and enthusiasm, as if it (the centre) were their home.” The centre programme begins at 11:30, when school is over and at 12:20 the kids have lunch. From 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm is homework time with two breaks, and a snack is provided at 3:00 pm. At 4:00 pm the kids return to their families. “Some of the children come from families where they see nothing but violence and aggression, so some of them are very aggressive,” explains Sr. Irina. “We need to work with these children personally. In the future we would like to provide education to the parents, but for now we can only offer them counselling.”

€8,000 granted

Sustaining the day centre project costs 235,381 Romanian Leu annually, around €47,300. Funds are provided by the Sisters themselves, the local municipality and from various other donors, but there were insufficient funds from these sources to cover from September 2023 to June 2024. A grant of €8,000 was requested from and granted by St. Anthony’s Charities.

“As in previous years, the children were divided into three large groups due to the lack of a fourth classroom, and are followed with much love and patience by the centre staff,” reports Sr. Irina. “The first group is for first graders, the second group includes those in second and third grade, and the third group those in fourth grade.

“Personally, as a social worker, I have visited the families of the children to get to know them not only from the family or parental point of view, but especially to see firsthand the environment in which they live,” she continues. “These visits are also important because, in several cases, it is necessary to protect the children from domestic labour exploitation by their parents, which forces them to take time away from studying. Beyond labour exploitation, I often have to protect these children from family violence. This work is very difficult and requires a lot of energy to work on school motivation when there is a lack of the minimum interest in the development, growth, and future of their children in their own family.”

Much gratitude

The funded project came to a successful end in June 2024. Some of the children who attended the day centre have written letters of thanks. Here are three of them:

 “I have been coming to the centre for almost a year. I like it here because I have made friends. The Sisters and Ms. Veta help us with our homework. I like the snack we get, but most of all, I like soccer. I thank everyone who has helped us.” – Darius from the first grade.

“During the wonderful time spent here, we did many fun things. We played with water: It was summer, it was hot, and it was the end of the school year. The Sisters decided to surprise us. And the shows: Every year there is a show for 8 March and for Christmas. For each celebration we all put in effort, both the children and the Sisters, but especially the Sisters. In this centre, everything is beautiful, and much more happens here than I have told you.” – Cristiana.

“I come to the centre with joy. Here we do our homework. On Fridays we have activities about Jesus. When we arrive at the centre we eat good food made by the Sisters. At 3 pm we have a snack, and at 4 pm we go home. We are sad to go home because we would like to keep playing soccer. In the classroom there are pictures that I like. I thank everyone who has helped me come to the centre.” – Andrei, first grader.

“The Lord has always accompanied us in our commitment to offer children security and a more serene life, for which we give thanks,” concludes Sr. Irina. “A big thank you to St. Anthony’s Charities and the readers of the Messenger of Saint Anthony for your consistency in financially supporting this activity, which has seen several hundred children grow up with various school, social, family, moral, and life difficulties, and who today can enjoy the progress made and the education received. It is certainly thanks to your contribution that our day centre operates and moves forward.”