About

The Nightingales Team 

A team of English and Romanians in Cernavoda manages the charity on a day to day basis.

In Romania, the alliance is headed by the director David Savage MBE, Ben Wells and two fulltime Romanian staff.

The mix of Romania and British management brings the best of both countries for the benefit of the young adults involved in our projects. A growing emphasis is on the ideas of the young adults who are becoming more implicated in the running of the charity and the choices made. The team is supported by a committee in England consisting of six professionals from different fields, who act as honorary Trustees, each of whom have experienced working with the charity in Cernavoda.

In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II awarded David Savage the MBE, for his work with disadvantaged children in Romania. This was a great personal accolade but also a recognition for all the hard work by all the staff, volunteers and supporters of the charity to help improve the lives of the under privileged youth in Cernavoda.

This was complimented in 2006 when Ben Wells was awarded the Beacon Fellowship prize of Young Philanthropist of the year, another recognition for all the hard work that people put in running Nightingales.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

Nightingales Children's Project started when David Savage MBE came to Romania in October 1992. He spent three months working for a charity in Cernavoda orphanage. The 200 children living there were suffering from a lack of appropriate care they were being left unmotivated, uneducated and unloved.

After three months David felt there was more that could be done; he left the charity he was working with and returned to work with these children and help better their situation. For the next year he worked alongside the Romanian staff, showing them how the children could benefit from love, care and attention.  With sponsorship from the UK, he also organised the installation of washing and toilet facilities in the orphanage.

Gradually people in England began to hear about his efforts and volunteered their help, in this way Nightingales Children's Project was born. Nightingales has been working officially now since it became registered as a charity in 1995, to help the under privileged children of Cernavoda. Promising that every penny of every pound will go directly to the care of the children.

In time David established and equipped a building - Casa Fericirii - close to the Cernavoda orphanage and in 1998, he moved twenty-three HIV positive children from the orphanage into this, their new home and life.  These children had spent the majority of their lives in an institution, without the care of a loving family.  Here, with the support of housemothers, cooks, volunteers, etc  they have had the opportunity to grow and develop in a loving and happy environmnent.

When they first moved into Casa Fericirii, due to their HIV condition, they were not expected to live passed their teenage years.  Due to the support and care they have received, most of those moved into Casa Fericirii have developed into well rounded individuals who are gradually becoming self-supporting and who, as a result, have moved on to our Independent Living project.  Sadly however, there are a few who, possibly as a result of lack of stimulation in their formative years or, due to illness, will always need our continued care and support.