Bucharest Partner visits

On the second day of the Re:think bridges conference, between 14:30 – 17:00 we have prepared in person visits of refugee programs run by NGOs and local authorities in Bucharest. Here are the initiatives you can visit on January 11th, by signing up via this form in advance. Places are limited.

The Social Incubator

We launched “The Social Incubator” Association in April 2014 and we knew, since then, that it would be an important milestone for each of us.

At the very first beginning, we set out to contribute of increasing the chances of social and professional integration of vulnerable young people in our country.

Also, since the first year of activity, we have created the main program of the organization: Tineri de Viitor/Life Project.

Supporting youth people who have left or are forced to leave the foster care system (16-26 years) has become the main focus for the association.

HOW WE DO IT?

We create a suitable environment for the development of young people from vulnerable backgrounds, giving them personalized help in all aspects that contribute to a stable and promising future: 

  1. Help for completion of studies
  2. Vocational counseiling
  3. Support for finding a paid job
  4. Personal and professional development
  5. Psychological counseiling
  6. Providing housing

Romexpo-DGASMB

According to the data of the Border Police, more than 6 million Ukrainian refugee have entered Romania since the invasion of the neighboring country by the Russian Federation.

The humanitarian mobilisation of the General Directorate of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest, through the Capital City Hall, led to the opening of the Donation Center for refugee from Ukraine – Romexpo, in March 2022. The large influx of refugee who need assistance proves its usefulness, now, almost 2 years after the inauguration of this center. At the end of 2022, the number of ukrainian beneficiaries who were assisted, was 190,838, and at the end of 2023, their number was 185,335.

Women, children and men who come daily to Romexpo receive food, non-perishable food, hygiene items and products for babies, clothes, shoes, vouchers for children (offered by the Salvation Army), medical vouchers for people aged 65 years and above, people with disabilities and chronic diseases, children’s playground (Save the Children) and various information to facilitate their living in our country.

The Romexpo donation center serves the interests of Ukrainians settled in many cities in Romania, not only for  those in Bucharest: Constanta, Brașov, Galați, Iași, Sibiu, Piatra Neamț, Prahova, etc.

The products offered to Ukrainians come from the donations of the people from Bucharest and from the companies that wanted to join us, World Vision being one of the main partners that provided assistance to hundreds of thousands of refugee. Ukrainian citizens can come to Romexpo once every 10 days, being registered in the internal database, based on original documents: passport, temporary protection, birth certificates.

On average, 500-1000 Ukrainians/day benefit from the services of the Romexpo Center, the operating hours being from Monday to Friday, between 09.00 and 17.00. The address of the Center is inside the Romexpo Complex, at pavilion G7 (Exhibition Blvd. no. 65-67).

Ukrainian refugees arrive in Bucharest, either in transit or settle in the Capital, our country being an important crossing point and connection with Western countries.

ALIAT

The Association ALIAT for Mental Health was founded in January 2019 to bring together initiatives and projects dedicated exclusively to promoting and supporting mental health of Romanians, keeping the area of ​​expertise in addictions accumulated since 1993 by the Alliance for the Fight Against Alcoholism and Drug Addiction (ALIAT). ALIAT for Mental Health has set as a priority the development of programs regarding information, education and prevention of behaviors harmful to mental health, including addictions, with a team mainly formed by specialists in mental health: psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists and social counselors.

From May 2022 until August 2023, ALIAT MH implemented 2 projects dedicated to the mental health support of Ukrainian refugees living in Bucharest, under the name ”INSIDE – alcohol and substance abuse prevention as a mechanism for emotional avoidance in trauma and developing coping strategies and abilities for the Ukrainian refugees affected by the war in Ukraine”. In total, we supported over 3.300 refugees, adults and children, out of which almost 100 were preadolescents and adolescents, offering them workshops (support groups for trauma) and useful information and instruments regarding coping mechanisms for war trauma, and also food and hygiene kits for their basic needs.

Presently, ALIAT for Mental Health has two projects regarding the prevention of drug use and other harmful behaviors among pupils (teens) in Bucharest schools:

  • one with workshops for medical professionals interacting with the children (financed by ASSMB Bucharest, that begun in October 2023 and already reached almost 200 doctors and nurses from schools)
  • another one regarding the vulnerable pupils from 4 schools in Bucharest, where we will deliver workshops tailored for teens, their parents and the teachers (financed by Kaufland, starting in January 2024).

Starting 2024, ALIAT MH will also be the main partner in an Erasmus + project on tackling gambling addiction in Romania, with partners from Spain, Croatia, Portugalia.

Carusel

During this period, the most vulnerable are the refugees from Ukraine, who are fleeing the path of war. We owe them solidarity and friendship. For them, we opened a temporary shelter on Calea Șerban Vodă, in collaboration with the Municipality of Bucharest, through DSGASMB, and with the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work.

Here, 40 people who have fled the war in Ukraine stay in 2 or 3 bed rooms with access to showers, washer-dryers, food and, most importantly, are treated with warmth, friendliness and empathy. We offer them advice and try to solve their most diverse needs, many of which we meet for the first time (visa procedures, plane tickets, medical conditions etc.).

Since the beginning of the war, we have built a small community here, where people not only have everything they need, but participate in activities, organize their own events (for example, on the Independence Day of Ukraine), collaborate and find a “home” temporarily, as far as possible from their own home.

SMILE- Friendly space for children and mothers (refugees or in transit in Bucharest), International Foundation for Child and Family

The goal of our project has been to encourage and facilitate the social integration of the refugees in the local community and also to maintain an inclusive, stimulating, non judgemental, open minded and active space where it is possible. 

We aim throughout our activities to provide increased access to protection, psychosocial support, and community integration services for refugees, host communities and vulnerable persons. Our focus is on children and parents, more specifically during the third round we focus on the social integration of the children and parents refugees during: Smile, a daily program of activities for children (for both Ukrainian and Romanian children and parents); English and Romanian courses and outdoor activities. 

Headquarters and activities location: Occidentului 44, Sector 1, Bucharest 

For more details

Museum of Abandonment

The Q-Arts Association was founded in 2013 and specializes in promoting social and cultural projects. Its activities encompass a wide range of projects, including 6 editions of the National Stradivarius Tour, 10 editions of the Night of Museums, and 8 editions of the Hope Concert. The association has collaborated with renowned artists and cultural institutions, from Alexandru Tomescu to the Madrigal National Chamber Choir, as well as essential non-governmental organizations for child protection, such as Hope and Homes for Children, the SERA Romania Foundation, and FONPC (Federation of Non-Governmental Organizations for Children).

The Museum of Abandonment is an initiative of the Q-Arts Association that started in the spring of 2021 as an unprecedented effort in Romania to address an unforgivable memorial and moral hiatus by providing a historical narrative of the abandonment phenomenon. In Romania, between the issuance of Decree 770/1966 and LAW no. 272/2004 on children’s rights, there are 38 years of indifference, untold stories, tragedies, but above all, a staggering figure: over half a million abandoned children.

In 2022, the Museum of Abandonment was honored at the Gala of the National Cultural Fund Administration (AFCN) with the Award for Social Inclusion and Intercultural Dialogue, and at the Civil Society Gala with three 1st Place Awards in the categories of Art and Culture, Social Impact, and Social Communication Campaigns. In November 2023, the Museum of Abandonment received the Golden Award in the Art and Culture category at the 21st edition of the PR AWARD.

More about the museum on:  www.muzeulabandonului.ro

“The suitcases of Abandonment,” is a project funded by CARE through the SERA Romania Foundation, CARE France, and FONPC, is an initiative launched by the Museum of Abandonment shortly after the outbreak of the war. The project aimed to archive the stories and emotions of one of the most dramatic events in recent European history – the conflict in Ukraine. We gathered and archived dozens of stories from refugees, mapping emotionally their journey since the beginning of the war.

More about the project on: https://www.bagajeleabandonului.ro/.