![[Photo Courtesy of ADRA Romania]](https://images.hopesoftware.org/resize/L3c6MTkyMCxxOjc1L2hvcGUtaW1hZ2VzLzY1ZTcxMzAxZjY1NTI4MWE1MzhlZDM3My9VRTUxNzEzODgwOTAwODIyLnBuZw/w:1920,q:75/hope-images/65e71301f655281a538ed373/UE51713880900822.png)
On Monday, December 21, 2020, Adventist Development and Relief and Agency (ADRA) Romania held an inauguration within the Gura Caliței community of Dealu Lung, Vrancea County. The inauguration was in honor of new bathrooms that were arranged, equipped, and put into operation, according to European policies regarding indoor access, for the 25 schoolchildren and preschoolers from the Dealu Lung Primary School, as part of the ADRA project “Support for Normality”.
Following the receipt of the request for assistance and the assessment of the situation, ADRA Romania, with the help of financier INGKA Investments, decided to get involved in this case. They arranged a bathroom inside the school, equipped and operated for the 25 schoolchildren and preschoolers. The project was coordinated by Ovidiu Burbulea, ADRA Moldova and Bucovina manager, Bogdan Stănică, ADRA Romania project manager, and Gabriela Istrate, ADRA Romania project manager/social worker, together with all the ADRA volunteers in the “Support for Normality” project.
The construction of the new bathrooms took place over two months and three weeks, from October 1, 2020, to December 21, 2020.
Nine volunteers were involved in the arrangement of the indoor bathroom ( 42 square meters), consisting of a hall, three bathrooms, and a warehouse for cleaning items, with an investment value of 36,000 Romanian leu. The hard work of these nine volunteers was supported by the sole sponsor, legal entity INGKA Investments Romania, which brought their financial and material contribution to the completion of the “Support for Normalcy” project.
Present at the event was Aurel Neațu, president of ADRA Romania and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Romania, who said, “It is an honor for me to participate in the inauguration of this goal, being an important project and successfully implemented for the community. I am reminded of the words of Jesus Christ, who said that it is happier to give than to receive, and whatever you want people to do to you, do the same.… Every child you train is a child won for society, and I am glad that ADRA Romania invests according to its principles and values in children for a better future, always choosing to be close to people and to support especially the little ones because they are our future. I am happy for this community, and I hope that this moment will be the beginning of good changes and will remain in their minds and souls as a beautiful memory. Thank you for the invitation and for what you have done for these children.”
“I wholeheartedly thank the ADRA Romania association for the involvement and help offered to our school, showing altruism, skill, and humanitarian support,” said Gică Grosu, mayor of Gura Caliței. “Dealu Lung School needed a restroom for our students because the previous conditions were not adequate sanitation, being the only school in the commune that did not have a restroom indoors, with the old toilet being in the yard behind the school. We are very open to [having] you further collaborate in supporting the commune of Gura Caliței. Thank you once again for the help given to these children."
“The primary school was the only body within the Gura Caliței Secondary School that did not have the necessary endowments for good development of the educational instructional process,” said Virginica Toader, director of Gura Caliței Secondary School, Vrancea County. “You may be wondering what a health group would have to do with the educational instructional process. It has a great connection because, through this process, children learn that personal hygiene is very important, which could not be ensured by the old restrooms. With the endowment of the new restrooms, we can say that we have taken a step forward in educating children regarding their personal hygiene. The beneficiaries of the new restrooms are us: students, teachers, but also the auxiliary and non-teaching staff. Together, we succeeded on all levels and completed the arrangement of the new restrooms. We want collaboration on other levels if the circumstances are favorable for us. We thank the association, ADRA Romania, both from the school management and from all those involved in the educational instructional process for the pleasant gift you gave us on the eve of the holidays."
“The ADRA project ‘Support for normality’ started with a small discussion at the beginning of September, but here we are, already at the end of December, with the completed project, enjoying the result of our efforts,” said Ionel Arsenie, deputy mayor of Gura Caliței. “On behalf of the community, we thank ADRA Romania and all those involved to make life easier for these children."
“The project ‘Support for Normalcy’ was realized with funding from INKGA, but also with the help of ADRA and volunteers who brought a change of lifestyle for young students in this school,” said Ionel Budu, representative of INKGA Investments Romania. “The conditions are much better now than the previous ones, creating a space conducive to the activities within the school courses. I am glad that, together, we were able to fulfill their wishes."
“The goal of ADRA is defined by such a simple and pure purpose,” said Robert Georgescu, executive director of ADRA Romania, “which is to serve humanity so that everyone can live as God intended. This goal of ADRA is folded, I would say perfectly, into the project ‘Support for Normality,’ being the normality that we transmit to people. Folks, this is the plan that heaven has made available to us so that we can live with each other.”
Since 1990, ADRA Romania has been mainly involved in development projects that benefit the entire population. Leading in projects undertaken according to the motto “Justice. Compassion. Love,” ADRA Romania brings joy and hope to the lives of the beneficiaries by promoting values, a better future, and human dignity. ADRA Romania is part of the ADRA International network, the global humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The network is one of the most widespread non-governmental organizations in the world, being active in about 120 countries and leading by a philosophy that combines compassion with practicality: addressing people in need, without making racial, ethnic, political, or religious distinctions, to serve humanity so that all may live as God intended.
