On Thursday, February 17, 2022, a special event took place in Poiana Teiului commune, Neamț county, at the completion of the ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) project “A Digital School in the Country”. Through this project, ADRA Romania contributed to improving the educational conditions for the 372 children enrolled in the Iustin Pârvu Gymnasium School in Poiana Teiului by purchasing IT equipment for an innovative approach in the field of education and expanding its use. The implementation of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in teaching-learning-assessment activities and the equipping of classrooms paves the way for digital learning as an alternative, interactive, and attractive means of study.
"A Digital School in the Country" for the 372 students took place over a period of about five-and-a-half months, starting on October 1, 2021. The purpose of the project, with an investment of €7,560, was to improve the conditions of sustainable education by 1) digitizing the educational process to achieve school performance among school children, 2) purchasing IT equipment to provide the opportunity for high-quality education to rural students, and 3) modernizing and equipping the school with IT equipment necessary for the learning process, in accordance with the new conditions imposed by the situation created by COVID-19 (online learning).
ADRA Romania, with the support of a single financier with expertise in basic education and health, has proposed and successfully achieved the improvement of living conditions for the children and citizens of the locality. The implementation of the ADRA project was coordinated by Willy Cotruță, Bogdan Stănică, and Gabriela Istrate.
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Georgel Pîrlitu, the first vice president of ADRA Romania and executive secretary the Romanian Union Conference, stated the following:
I am very happy because this time, ADRA Romania invited us to the inauguration of a project that comes from the field of education. I am happy because the Adventist Church places the most emphasis on education. Worldwide, the Seventh-day Adventist Church today has more than 3,000 educational institutions where hundreds of thousands of children study, and I am pleased that ADRA is following this line. In recent years, ADRA Romania has experienced an unexpected development through [hard] work and dozens of projects implemented for different categories of people, all this being done because the team consists of people with vision, [generocity], and [empathy]. At ADRA Romania, there are people who find the best solutions for the most difficult problems of the beneficiaries. I am very happy for our sponsors who trust ADRA. I pray that God will watch over us, all of us, especially [for this] activity, as well as the ADRA Romania team. Thank you!.
Robert Georgescu, executive director of ADRA Romania, shared his feedback:
ADRA Romania is happy to wear this holiday dress, aware of the fact that behind this moment were some people who got involved—most of the time, their actions being unseen. Similar to the educational act, ADRA has the same goal: namely, to invest in people's potential. We believe that by investing in education, we can change the society in which we live and we can do something. We believe that by standing side by side and shaking hands with the Territorial Administrative Unit, the Education Unit, the church, NGOs, volunteers, sponsors, and various institutions that have understood their role, we can do beautiful things in Romania to [reach] international standards. We support education through the various projects we have. Most of the beneficiaries that ADRA has in its portfolio are children and young people. Every year, we can count dozens of beneficiaries at [the] national level. Here, on this occasion, we count 372 children beneficiaries of ADRA Romania who join, together with the others, the number of beneficiaries last year: over 77,000. Thank you for this opportunity; thank you to the sponsor who supported us financially; thank you to those who were actively involved in the implementation. We wholeheartedly serve humanity so that everyone can live together as God planned!
Ancuța Ana, mayor of Poiana Teiului, shared her appreciation:
You surprised me so much when I entered this room that I was speechless. I am so proud of you. I do not know where and how you made this project. I don't know how you got to our commune, but I know one thing: I have always considered that education and health are the basis of a healthy society, and you, ADRA Romania, have brought these things back to life. You are a wonderful team! Thank you for your involvement and devotion!
Mugurel Asaftei, executive secretary of the Moldavia Conference, said this:
What I can say is that I am glad to be here. I realize that we are witnessing a special event because special and intelligent children will leave this place. It was a surprise for me to go into the classroom and see a digital whiteboard. I am glad that students will be able to explore the world of knowledge—the virtual world through this means that you have. In other words, you have invested in the future. Special thanks to ADRA Romania, which favored and facilitated the improvement of the study of the students from this school. I wish you success in everything you set out to do!
Ancuța Vasilica, director of the Iustin Pîrvu Gymnasium School, added her sentiments:
When I started this project in 2021, I had high hopes that students in rural areas will also have high-level tools. Being in a continuous process of digitization, we have reached high standards with the help of ADRA, which we thank from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you all for the initiative, involvement, dedication, seriousness, and effort!
Gabriela Istrate, project manager for ADRA Romania, contributed her thoughts:
Today, I am very happy and I thank God with all my heart for coming to this moment. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the openness and willingness to collaborate with ADRA Romania in projects like this, which aim at the education and future of children in this part of the country. It was a project that brought us many challenges, even if ADRA Romania has expertise in implementation in the field of education; it was the first time we had to purchase such equipment. Thanks to my colleagues in the team, with whom we consulted, we analyzed offers, we noticed if they corresponded to what we expected, and here we are today at this inaugural moment. We are happy that we were able to do something for the children in this commune. We congratulate you for the concern you have for the children here, who will help the development of the local community here in Poiana Teiului, this beautiful commune. All the gratitude to God, the sponsor, the partners, and the volunteers for the implementation of the project "A Digital School in the Country" in Poiana Teiului, Neamț County.
Willy Cotruță, ADRA project coordinator for Moldova and Bucovina, said this:
Today, I came to Poiana Teiului with joy. I believe that education is one of the main pillars, and this is how it should be viewed by our society because we cannot have a good tomorrow if we do not have a quality education today. We hope that the students who will use this equipment will be able to acquire the best and most beautiful knowledge, in such a way that their course in life will bring value to our society. It is a joy to be at the inauguration of this project today. We thank God and those who got involved!
Alexandru Stama, sole funding administrator within the project, expressed his gratitude:
Thank you very much for including me in your team. Indeed, this project was a challenge for me as well, but I can't help but admit that things turned out the way they should have turned out: that is, good. Thank you all for your collaboration and for the extraordinary work you have put in. May God give you only good and healthy things!
Since 1990, ADRA Romania has been mainly involved in development projects that benefit the entire population. Leading in the projects undertaken according to the motto “Justice. Compassion. Love.”, ADRA Romania brings joy and hope in the lives of the beneficiaries by promoting a better future, values, and human dignity. 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 approximately 120 countries, following a philosophy that combines compassion with practicality, addressing people in need, without racial, ethnic, political, or religious distinctions, in order to serve humanity so that all may live as God intended.