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"CASA FERICIRII" - Home of Happiness
Where the idea came from:
In the charity's work in the orphanage it became apparent that the children being treated and segregated most fiercely were the HIV/AIDS infected children. The charity spent five years battling the Romanian authorities to be allowed to build a home and a school for this group of children. In 1996 the renovation of an old building into three classrooms and a toilet was complete. Each morning 23 children from the orphanage would walk the 100 or so metres to their new school. In September 1998, all the HIV/AIDS infected children living in Cernavoda Orphanage, 21 in total, moved in Casa Fericirii. A new home and the beginning of a new life; where the children could live in a loving family environment. The charity built the home to allow these young children to live out their lives with dignity, with the treatment and the care they deserve.
Presently:
We are now caring for 6 healthy HIV/AIDS infected at Casa Fericirii while 10 of the ex-residents are living independently in the town, with just moral and social support from the charity; in the way parents would for a child who have just moved out of home. At the beginning of the 1990's these children had a life expectancy of their early teens. Now they are in their late teens and early twenties and planning their futures. Nightingales has cared for 26 children in total in Casa Fericirii; 13 children have died in the comfort of their home surrounded by their friends and the people they regarded as family. 5 of the young people are in full-time employment, 3 work part time and 1 is a fulltime mother. The 6 in the home follow a daily programme of activities but are likely to need our continuing support throughout their lives. It is unlikely that they will ever be able to hold down full time jobs.
When the children first arrived at Casa Fericirii many of them couldn't feed, dress, wash or toilet themselves. In the time since their move, the changes have been immense. These children have become the young adults they had the potential to be but were not given the chance to become in Cernavoda Orphanage.
The future:
Nightingales would like to see the young people involved in the independent living programme to be completely independently within 5 years.
For the six at Casa Fericirii, it is hoped that an occupation can be found for these young adults, so they are generating a personal income and helping them to integrate into society. Although they will never be able to live independent of care, they are capable of giving to the local community. Our aim is to grow the activity base within our Community Centre to include cookery classes, work benches, computers and IT courses, so that we can provide these young people with part-time supervised employment.
Nightingales needs approximately £50,000 a year to continue to run Casa Fericirii.
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