The story of Heart of a Child began with four street children we took into our care in a rented apartment. We pioneered foster care in Romania, helping children grow up in a family environment, and continued to support the placement of other children with foster families over the years.

During this period, we launched the “SOS for Abandoned HIV+ Children” project, improving the lives of 25 HIV-positive children who had been abandoned in a hospital in Galați by providing the care and support they urgently needed.

We also found foster families for three of these children — the first foster families in Romania to welcome HIV-positive children into their homes.

We continued our efforts to place all the children abandoned in the hospital with foster families. We also opened two group homes, Casa Mihai and Casa Ana Maria, for nine of these children — among the first group homes of their kind in Romania.

We ensured the permanent closure of the hospital ward for abandoned children living with HIV/AIDS by helping every child move into a foster family or group home. We also led an advocacy campaign to establish a day-care medical unit for HIV-positive children in Galați. The unit was successfully established and continues to operate today.

We rented and renovated a group of three buildings in Cudalbi, Galați County, creating a safe home and an opportunity for a new beginning for children living on the streets and children from families facing severe difficulties. Over the course of seven years, The “Forget Me Not” House became a home for more than 50 children, offering them safety, care and the chance to rebuild their lives.

We renovated and modernized two rooms in the local hospital where children living with HIV received regular treatment, transforming them into warm, welcoming and child-friendly spaces designed to make their hospital visits more comfortable.

The opening and provision of 2 Group Homes for the care in a family-like environment of 10 young people with severe disabilities from the Nicorești hospital orphanage. This was a first, both Foundation-wide as well as Romania-wide.

Through this project, we supported the closure of an orphanage in Galați and helped 57 children return to their biological families or move into foster care. We also developed a network of foster carers and social workers in Galați, helping strengthen the local child protection system. The social services developed through the project were later taken over by DGASPC Galați.

In 1998, we opened the Resource and Guidance Centre for Children and Families, where we employed our first social worker.

The project continued to grow over the years, providing support to thousands of people in both urban and rural communities. Services have included information and counselling, material assistance, and practical resources for parents, children and families.

Today, the centre continues its work as an accredited Community Centre, providing support tailored to the needs of children and families.

Together with Word Made Flesh Foundation, we opened a Day Centre for children living on the streets, welcoming 10–15 children every day. For many of them, the support, care and opportunities they received during this time became a turning point in their lives.

Over several years, we provided material support, educational activities and practical work placements for young people living with HIV, helping 80 young people develop the skills and confidence needed to enter the job market.

Between 2007 and 2008, a cross-border partnership between Romania and the Republic of Moldova focused on the social and professional integration of young adults with special needs, promoting the exchange of experience and best practices.

The workshop creates handmade and decorative products while providing employment opportunities for people facing barriers to employment, including people in difficult circumstances, those living with chronic illnesses, and refugees.

We established Galați’s first psychomotor therapy group for 10 children with severe disabilities at the Iovan Iorgovan Community Centre, in partnership with the Bethany Social Services Foundation, through the “Together at Home” project. The project was later handed over to the local authorities for continuation.

A two-year program focused on preventing school dropout among children from eight communities in Galați and Tulcea counties, supporting more than 300 children to stay in school and continue their education.

In 2005, we opened a Day Centre in Galați for children facing hardship and at risk of dropping out of school. We later opened Day Centres in Tecuci and Pechea Village. In 2022, following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the arrival of thousands of refugees in eastern Romania, we launched after-school educational programs for Ukrainian children in Galați and Brăila. Today, around 100 children benefit from our centers every month.

This program supports children throughout middle and high school, helping them continue their education and pursue higher education. In addition to financial assistance, we provide ongoing support with family and personal challenges, personal development, and other aspects of their lives. We also create individual opportunities and experiences tailored to each child, supporting their long-term growth, confidence, and development.

The launch of an integrated package of measures that facilitate the access of children from within the program to 21st century education. The measures include the development of digital skills, scholarships, educational materials, medical services, clothing, food and tutoring in languages and mathematics. Strategic partnership with UiPath Foundation

Every year, we support hundreds of children from rural communities in eastern Romania who come from families facing hardship, providing them with backpacks and school supplies so they can start the school year prepared.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we provided children with devices for online learning. We continue to improve access to education by donating computers and laptops to children in rural communities.

Through this program, we have supported more than 10 schools and kindergartens in rural communities, helping create better learning environments for children.

We have set up libraries, reading corners and playgrounds, and supported the renovation and equipping of educational facilities, helping children learn and grow in safer, more welcoming environments.

In response to the thousands of people fleeing the war, we initially provided emergency assistance, including transportation, accommodation, food and translation services.

In April 2022, we opened the first Resource and Support Centre for Refugees in Galați, followed by a centre in Brăila. Through a wide range of programs and services, we have supported more than 15,000 refugees. Today, we continue to help those who have settled in Romania with integration and language learning.

Heart of a Child helped organize and send 12 humanitarian aid shipments to war-affected areas in eastern Ukraine, carrying food, hygiene products, medicines, medical equipment and supplies for accommodation facilities. We also provided logistical and volunteer support for more than 60 humanitarian aid shipments organized by local partners.

In September 2024, more than 20 villages in Galați County were affected by severe flooding. We responded with tons of emergency aid and continued our support by helping affected communities recover and assisting vulnerable people as they rebuilt their lives.

In 2025, we also provided food and hygiene supplies to a flood-affected community in Suceava County.