Seven years ago Dorcas Aid Romania has initiated the first project with Roma children.
At the present moment there are four Dorcas projects which are addressing especially to Roma children from Mera village (Cluj couny), Oradea town, Tarian and Cheresig villages (Bihor county). These projects are implemented by Diakonia Foundation from Cluj Napoca town and Christian Centre Betania from Oradea town in partnership with Dorcas Aid Romania.
180 children are daily helped with their homework within an “after school” program and they also receive a warm meal. As part of the project there are organized different activities in which the pupils can learn and develop different life skills and practices, like hygiene rules, good manners, singing songs, creating and making handmade things which stimulate children’s creativity, and Biblical lessons. At the end of the school year they are „rewarded” with a summer camp.
The parents are also being part of this project; there are organized special seminars for parents and activities for mothers, like initiating in tailoring and making glass pearl bracelets.
The final aims of all these activities of the project, is to reduce the children’s school abandon, to improve the children’ school results and to offer a chance for a better life.