A Special Invitation to Barlad, Romania “The help of volunteers is life-saving for the children. The support of these extraordinary people traveling from the other side of the world doesn’t cease to amaze me and for the children it is a blessing. The volunteers are not medical staff, but you don’t need those skills in order to care for a child who is in need. All you need is love!” - Dr. Magdalena Cozma, former director of the Children’s Department at the Elena Beldiman Municipal Hospital Whizz goes the blender at the children’s hospital in Barlad, Romania, mixing milk for vulnerable infants. Whirring practically non-stop day and night, this blender is a symbol of the resiliency and ingenuity of the Romanian people. Before it was just a common blender sitting on a counter at the hospital, but one day the plastic pitcher fell to the floor, shattering into many pieces. The nurses painstakingly retrieved those precious shards; patched, super-glued, and duct-taped them together; and the beat-up vessel was made usable again. This most basic of kitchen gadgets was able to continue serving as a lifeline of sorts for underweight babies at this hospital in eastern Romania. The people of Romania have survived a tumultuous history and a recent revolution with grace, dignity, and fierce pride. Today Romanians are undergoing exciting democratic and economic reforms, while still living with the tragic effects of inhumane healthcare and economic policies initiated by earlier regimes. Particularly in the areas of caring for children at hospitals and working in English classrooms, your help is the greatest gift these local people can gain! No special skills are required to help a child – just a sense of compassion, a heavy dose of flexibility, and an openness to new experiences. If your passion lies in serving at-risk children or teaching, we have wonderful opportunities for you to contribute in Romania. You have the opportunity to help care for some of Romania’s most needy children and they need your support now. While volunteering in Romania, you will have the opportunity to experience Romanian culture firsthand, as no tourist would have the opportunity to do, while being an active participant in the community.

Community Partners & Work Projects While on a service program in Romania, you have the chance to serve with the following community partners: Elena Beldiman Municipal Hospital The children’s department of this public hospital serves children with acute diseases and disorders such as fetal alcohol syndrome, Down syndrome, and heart problems. It is the only hospital in the area for children suffering from such medical conditions. The hospital has a capacity of up to 100 children. Dr. Magdalena Cozma, former director of the Children’s Department within the hospital, invited Global Volunteers to work with at-risk children in 2011 after Global Volunteers had been serving in the area since 1999. This hospital used to be known as St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital, but changed names when it became one with the adult hospital, a merger which has resulted in less funding for the children’s department. Global Volunteers specifically works in the section of the children’s department where abandoned children are cared for. At this center there are usually around ten children, most of whom have mild disabilities while a few have more serious conditions. The children here need the compassionate intervention, loving care, and attention that you will provide in order to help them overcome their persistent medical challenges. You will be holding, feeding, and entertaining babies and toddlers who need care and are abandoned. Nurses Lili Vasiliu and Otilia Martac are the key leaders who work with the country managers to organize and facilitate the volunteer experience. The skills of healthcare specialists, occupational therapists, and feeding specialists can be put to very good use at this hospital. Light labor is also requested at the hospital in the form of minor plaster repairs, laying vinyl flooring, and the painting of several rooms and corridors. Children’s rooms at the hospital need to be decorated as well. Volunteers with creative or artistic skills are needed to brighten up these rooms for the children.

“We can’t change the world in three weeks, but everything must begin with baby steps. If nothing else, we made the children a little happier while we were there. Just seeing those precious faces light up the instant we walked into their rooms every morning made the entire experience worthwhile.” - Bridget Wickert, Global Volunteer in Romania

Vasile Parvan School Global Volunteers was invited to serve at this public school, which serves nearly 500 students from grades one to eight, in 2011. Our country manager in Romania tells us that once the news spread that Global Volunteers were working at this school, more parents decided to enroll their children there. Daniel Stefanica is the vice principal and works with the country managers to organize and facilitate the volunteer experience. Here you are needed to teach conversational English to primary and middle school students during the school year. The focus is on conversation - visiting about everyday subjects and real-life situations so the students can increase their vocabulary and practice English language skills. Simply talking about the American lifestyle and culture will prompt students to interact, question, and practice their speaking ability. Many of the techniques in Global Volunteers’ Conversational English Resource Manual will help prepare you with ideas and plans for working with your students.

Gh. Rosca Codreanu Middle and High School Gh. Rosca Codreanu Middle and High School has 950 students in grades five to twelve. Students at this school are aged ten to eighteen, with most of them being of high school age. Global Volunteers was invited to serve in the English classrooms at this school in 1999. The students’ level of English is high intermediate and the focus is on conversation, just like at Vasile Parvan. Visiting about everyday subjects and topics of interest helps students to increase their vocabulary, train their ears, and practice their speaking ability. This is an extracurricular program to help students with additional English learning. Here you are needed during the school year, and your participation can go a long way in boosting students’ confidence in the English language. Tita Chiru is the principal and works closely with your team leader to coordinate the volunteer experience.

Meals, Lodging & Transportation Global Volunteers Romania Country Managers, Dan and Mihaela Cirjontu, lead all teams in Romania. In cooperation with our community partners, Dan and Mihaela will facilitate your team’s orientation, assist you in being fully engaged in your assigned work project(s), and manage all project-related logistical issues. Mihaela is also assistant principal at Gh. Rosca Codreanu Middle and High School. Dan and Mihaela will introduce you to the community, help acclimate you to the local culture, invite you to community events, and engage you in the day-to-day life of the community.

Cuisine Three meals a day are included in your service program fee and your team leader will organize all these logistics. Breakfast is served at the hotel restaurant and includes eggs, bacon, bread, milk, butter, jams, and coffee or tea. In Romania lunch is commonly the largest meal of the day. Most days the team will have lunch at the hotel. Romanian lunch options include soups, vegetables, chicken, pork, beef, and large salads. Meat is most commonly grilled. Other traditional meals such as stuffed cabbage or stuffed grape leaves are available and are sure to tempt the palate. Dinner is taken at the hotel or at local restaurants. Desserts, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages are readily available for an additional charge.

Lodging Volunteers stay at the three-star Moldova Hotel in downtown Barlad in double occupancy rooms. Each room has its own private bathroom, a TV, a telephone, Wi-Fi, a small refrigerator, and air conditioning. Single rooms are available for an additional fee, but are limited. The hotel has an elevator, a restaurant, and a bar and is very centrally located close to the farmers’ market, museums, banks, and grocery stores. You can see photos of the hotel here.

Transportation While on your service program, all in-country transportation is included in your service program fee. You will be met at the Bucharest airport by Global Volunteers Country Managers, Mihaela or Dan Cirjontu, who will accompany your team to Barlad by van, about four and a half hours away. Barlad is the city in eastern Romania where both the hospital and the schools we serve are located. The teams also returns to Bucharest by train at the program’s end. Volunteers take taxis to their work sites each day and the ride is about ten minutes. Note: transportation for free-time activities is not included.

Free Time and Sightseeing Activities In the evenings and on the weekends, you will have free time to explore this small country – just about the size of Oregon – which is home to beautiful hills and plains, the Black Sea, the Carpathian Mountains, and both the Danube Delta and River. Barlad, with a population of 80,000, exudes rustic charm with medieval flair. It was the capital of southern Moldova when the country was divided into provinces. The city has since distinguished itself with its intense cultural activity, having inspired world-renowned writers and artists. On the weekend, you might choose to venture west to explore Transylvania’s Saxon and Hungarian villages, hike the picturesque Carpathian Mountains, tour area wineries, or visit the fascinating medieval city of Brasov. It is now the second largest city in Romania and is home to monasteries, museums, and charming parks. The moody and mysterious Dracula’s Castle – the number one tourist attraction for foreign visitors to Romania – is also found in the nearby town of Bran. The town of Sinaia, also nearby and home to the Peles and Pelisor castles, is nestled at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains. Considered by many one of the most beautiful castles in all of Europe, Peles Castle is a masterpiece of German new-Renaissance architecture.

Another popular weekend excursion is to the region of northeastern Romania known as Bukovina. It is there that mountain redoubts and medieval monasteries helped Romania’s religious and literary traditions survive the Turkish occupation. Recognized as World Heritage sites, they boast vibrant, richly-detailed frescoes of biblical and historical events. You could also visit the monasteries around Barlad, not as old as the Bukovina ones, but definitely beautiful where you could also enjoy a meal cooked by the monks. A third weekend option that many volunteers enjoy is a trip to the city of Iasi (pronounced “Yosh”) about 90 minutes north of Barlad. The third largest city in Romania, Iasi is the cultural and economic capital of the Moldavian region, offering a vibrant university, a resident philharmonic orchestra, and a lively theater scene. Beginning in the 16th century, Iasi was home to a long line of Moldavian princes who transformed the city by bequeathing ornate churches and monasteries, museums, plazas, and parks. Visiting a village near Barlad is an option as well, interacting with local families and seeing how they live. Here traditions are very much alive – people still use horses and carts, grow their own crops, carve wood, paint eggs, and live a simple, healthy life. As a volunteer, you will be able to experience the traditions of Romania.

“YOU make the difference for our children. You don’t need special skills; you just need to be able to hold, hug, and love a child. They’re waiting for you.” - Romania Country Manager Mihaela Cirjontu Service Program Fee Global Volunteer’s service program fee covers all lodging in double accommodation, three meals a day, in-country team transportation, emergency medical evacuation insurance, all preparatory materials, onsite orientation, a full-time team leader, and administration costs. The Romania service program fee is $2,295 for one week and $2,495 for two weeks. Extended weeks are available. Single rooms are available for an additional fee. Please ask your volunteer coordinator about referral credits as well as discounts for students, companions, alumni, and children under the age of 12 with an accompanying adult. We also encourage you to use Global Volunteers’ online fundraising tool with your own personalized webpage to enlist partially taxdeductible donations from your family and friends to help cover your service program fee. Airfare and free time activity expenses are your responsibility. The service program fee and airfare are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers.

Reserve your spot today! You CAN make a genuine difference. Call one of our volunteer coordinators at 800-487-1074 to register.

375 E. Little Canada Rd. St. Paul, MN 55117 800-487-1074 651-407-6100 https://globalvolunteers.org/ [email protected]