Our Projects
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Echipa Mobilă Armata Salvării
Description:
According to the Population and Housing Census in 2011, the homeless population in Romania consists of 162.375 people.The phenomenon of homelessness is rising due to the poverty and increasing housing prices. It is estimated that there are over 5,000 homeless people in Bucharest. Among the adults, it is estimated that 65% are male and 35% are female. Some of these people became homeless because the buildings of the former “nationalized houses” have been claimed and they were evicted from the houses for which they paid rent.
EMAS (Salvation Army’s Mobile Team) is a social and health service dedicated to homeless people. EMAS works 3 nights a week, between 18’00 and 00’30, providing information, health care, social and counselling services, and facilitates access to the social and health services provided by the government or NGOs.
Running time:
The program started on December 18, 2015 and it is still running
Location & intervention areas:
Bucharest: all districts
Promotor & Partners:
The Salvation Army in Romania together with The Salvation Army in Norway & Norway Grants
Purpose:
Preventing the deaths of the homeless who take shelter on the streets, providing social and health care services to the homeless who are not medically and socially insured. Providing food and emergency health care services to the beneficiaries. Increasing life expectancy and the quality of life of homeless people, providing opportunities for social inclusion for the target group, including housing, finding a workplace; other social or group activities.
Beneficiaries:
Homeless people or families who live on “the streets” (including children and Roma families), people who were evicted from “nationalized homes”. People who do not own a place, don’t have access to social or decent housing. Vulnerable people who are at risk of being evicted from their own homes. Adults (over 18) or families with children in vital and social emergencies who live on the streets. People who have lost their home and don’t have financial or material resources, or a functional place to stay (no power, no water, broken roof etc.).
The indirect beneficiaries of the program are families who come from PAFA, the civil society and community in Bucharest, professionals and volunteers working in social services in Bucharest.
Results:
- 751 new people identified between August 2015 and April 2017, from which 446 men, 160 women and 144 children;
- 1 standardised database started in August 2016 and now operational;
- 909 social interventions provided, consisting in
- 407 social counsellings on the streets
- 490 information and guidance services
- 12 social initiatives – support for employment
- 673 medical examinations and treatments provided on the streets, of which: 73 medical examinations for people with mental health problems, for homeless people, and over 40 health services provided to addicts;
- Individual help offered on the streets to beneficiaries, consisting of: over 1500 soups and food packages; 307 cups of coffee and tea; 317 bottles of mineral water distributed on the streets; 356 hygiene products (soap, shaving utensils etc.);
- Over 250 clothing packages distributed; donated shoes and 166 sleeping bags distributed to those sleeping on the streets;
- 70 packages for children/year on a regular basis during Christmas;
- 1 active volunteer: doctor/physician, member of the mobile team;
- A gallery on the phenomenon of homeless people, ran by The Salvation Army Association in two locations at the University of Bucharest in November 2016;
- 6 beneficiaries were hired.
How to support this project:
If you feel that, come join us in the Salvation Army volunteer team!
The Salvation Army forms a team of volunteers who will work with street people during the day. If you are a student, a social worker, a psychologist, a medical assistant, a doctor or a simple citizen willing to help and hold a driving license, we are waiting for the motivation letter and your CV to [email protected]
+40 735 696 410
Geneza Community Centres
Location: Iasi & Ploiesti
Supporting territory: Norway, Iceland & Faroes Territory – Norway Project
These are located at Iasi and Ploiesti. The name Geneza is taken from the first book of the Bible, Genesis, which means ‘origin’. Our aim is to provide a new beginning for our participants, most of whom come from the poorer neighborhoods of the cities.
We offer ‘soup, soap and salvation’ through:
- After School programs for children
- Spiritual guidance from our officers (church ministers)
Our aim is to help families construct a solid foundation from which they can build their own future and children completing school. This will also assist them to find their place in the wider society.
ReDesign Workshop
Description:
ReDesign is a manucfacturing creation workshop, a Salvation Army Association social economy enterprise. The ReDesign project offers the possibility of professional training at the workplace for vulnerable youth and parents. ReDesign is a transition space that helps people in need move from social exclusion to employment and social inclusion. ReDesign benefits from 2 manufacturing workshops in Ploiesti and Iasi, where wallets and leather goods are made.
Running time:
June 2016 – April 2018.
Promoter & Partners:
The Salvation Army Romania & Fretex Norway/The Salvation Army Norway, funded by Norway Grants.
Purpose:
To provide a workplace and a transition period to the associations’ beneficiaries, them being capable of finding a job in a social economy structure (S.E.S.) or in a company. To provide help to beneficiaries by training them for the conditions, standards and requirements of a workplace.
Beneficiaries:
Poor people, persons affected by exclusion from the labor market. Roma people, motivated to be employed or to be trained in order to have access to the labor market. Parents of children with school drop-out risk or at the risk of being abandoned by their family. Particular emphasis is placed on people affected by social exclusion on the labor market.
Results:
- 2 manufacturing workshops in Iasi and Ploiesti
- 28 beneficiaries had a work contract with ReDesign
- A standard vocational guidance methodology prepared for the SALVATtex beneficiaries
- Over 5 vocational training seminars for the SALVATex employees
- Over 5 vocational training courses with professional qualification diploma for the beneficiaries
- Over 5 articles online about SALVATtex on http://www.economiesociala.net/m9-9-0-ro-SALVATtex
*** We believe in people and in that promoting inclusion through social inclusion programs through social economy can lead to positive change in society. To do this, we make constant efforts. You can support this program again this year by either:
- directing 2%
- becoming a volunteer
- redirecting 20% to the volunteering programs
- sharing our programs in Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube)
Bucharest Corps Music Program
Location: Bucharest
Supporting territory: Norway, Iceland & Faroes Territory
This project is designed to have classes for music offered to people in the local community of the Bucharest corps. The classes are particularly directed to the children in the local community. The plan is to have classes three times a week for the duration of the school semesters over two years
Programme for Roma and Romanian Integrated Children’s Education in Bucharest, Craiova and Bacau
Locations: Bucharest, Craiova, Bacau
Supporting territory: Switzerland, Austria & Hungary Territory
This project is designed to help 350 children of approximately 130 underprivileged families in general education support, family integration and counselling and anti-trafficking education. There is a small amount of material support to be offered within the project. The project is aimed to run over three years and will enable the corps involved to seek out sustainability opportunities and find local resources to extend the project past the project duration. The project has direct connection to the local corps centre and it is hoped that people in this program will be attracted to the corps spiritual activities.
Aim: Improve the life of children and their families through education and for the corps to strengthen relationships with families and communities.
Objectives:
- To provide support in classes and after school activities to 300-350 children, over 3 years, to be better positioned to interact and achieve academically in the local education system.
- To help children’s education standards while helping prevent trafficking and situations of abuse by activating 6 counselling and support groups with families of participating children, and others in the local area.
- To improve the nutritional health of 250-300 children through the provision of 150-200 meals per week, and providing 80-100 families with information on good nutrition.
- To become self-sustaining within the 3 year period of the project, by establishing local funding or in kind support for the continuation of the project.
Mercy Street
Location: Craiova
Supporting territory: Norway, Iceland & Faroes Territory
In this project about 35 beneficiaries will be fed once a day, 3 times per week throughout the project. The food will be prepared in the kitchen of Craiova corps. With the help of the corps, the food will be taken to beneficiaries in the station area (where they use to gather) and will be given to them. All project activities will be coordinated by an employee who will be helped daily by volunteers in the corps. Also this project helps the Salvation Army to be seen in action. May people stop and ask why we are and why we do this work. This project is a great ability for the Salvation Army to serve God.
Aim: Create a community that foster new partnership, to deliver a high quality feeding program that gives hope, compassion and security for the homeless.
OBJECTIVES:
- To fulfil the hunger needs of the homeless people.
- To have people leave the centre feeling good about themselves by reinforcing a positive psychological attitude.
- The provide and environment where people can share with each other socially.
- To ensure confidence and a greater sense of independence, self-respect and community inclusiveness.
- To advocate with the local government on the needs of the disadvantaged in the community.
- To enable people coming into the centre to explore spiritual solution to life’s problems.
Craiova community shower and laundry project
Location: Craiova
Supporting territory: Norway, Iceland & Faroes Territory
This project is for homeless and disadvantaged people living in the city of Craiova. The Salvation Army has been working with and serving these people for a number of years. Through this project it is planned for approximately 20 homeless people to shower, get a haircut and wash their clothes each week. The beneficiaries will be served with hot drinks and food. They will be offered socks and underwear and, if necessary, they will be given a change of clothes and shoes from donations that the corps receives. All the activity will take place in the corps building and with the support of the church volunteers.
Aim: Improving life quality of homeless people and of disadvantaged families, with the possibility to ease their life in society.
Objectives:
- During these three years, homeless and disadvantaged people have access to weekly shower
- During these three years, people have access to washing facilities for their clothes
- During these three years, each beneficiary can receive a meal consisting of tea and sandwiches.
Iași Community Shower and Laundry
Location: Iași
Supporting territory: Sweden & Latvia Territory
This project is designed to enable homeless and disadvantaged people access to laundry facilities, shower facilities and provide education, social and spiritual activities that will enable them to integrate into the community and have their physical, emotional and spiritual needs addressed.
Aim: This project seek to raise the quality of life of the poorest, most socially disadvantaged and spiritually isolated people in the Iasi community. The project does this by offering a holistic ministry for people in the community. This project is not just about laundry but seeks to give people a life changing experience and a belonging christian community where they feel valued and loved.
Objective:
- To have people coming to the centre leave with clean clothes and body.
- To have people leave the centre feeling good about themselves by reinforcing a positive psychological attitude.
- The provide and environment where people can share with each other socially.
- To advocate with the local government on the needs of the disadvantaged in the community.
- To enable people coming into the centre to explore spiritual solution to life’s problems.
The Volunteering Resources Centre in Bucharest
Description:
Over 3,3 million volunteers of all ages have given their time, skills and resources to support The Salvation Army’s activity in all the world. Although at a European level the population in Romania is not very active in the volunteering field, compared to other European Union countries, our organization, through this program, wants to promote the Salvation Army International experience that unfolds programs in over 130 countries with the help of volunteers. We believe that volunteering itself is a type of life-long learning for adults through which participants, when in action, develop their skills and competences needed in their personal and spiritual growth.
The Volunteering Resources Centre in Bucharest is a program meant for volunteers and the community of Bucharest in order to create personal development opportunities for the volunteers and sustainable development for the community. Through this program we combine the personal development programs for volunteers with the action taken in the name of the people and the communities in which we work.
We want, through this project, to increase the number of the involved volunteers, to increase the involvement rate of the citizens in the community, to innovate the field of volunteering and to increase the visibility of volunteering among the members of the communities in which we work. Most of the volunteers work with enthusiasm on short-term. One of the objectives of the Volunteering Resources Centre is to identify the motivation and aspirations of the volunteers, that could make them to take action constantly, with enthusiasm, and on the long term in educational, social, community or humanitarian projects and programs of the association.
Running time:
The project started on December 5, 2018 and it is still running.
Location & Intervention Area:
Bucharest, the 6 districts.
Promoter & Partners:
The project’s promoter is The Salvation Army in Romania Association.
Purpose:
To increase the number of involved volunteers, to increase the involvement rate of the citizens in the community, to innovate the volunteering field and to increase the visibility of volunteering among the members of the communities in which we work. Setting up a library and a Volunteering Resources Centre in Bucharest.
Beneficiaries:
Volunteers, pupils, students, employees, retired people, associations and foundations that unfold activities in Bucharest during summer, the community in Costinesti.
Results:
- A Volunteering Resources Centre is created at the headquarters of the association in Bucharest
- A Resources Centre is functional, together with the Volunteer’s Library 1
- A volunteering contract template which has 4 appendixes was drafted
- a volunteering contract template and 4 appendixes were translated into English
- a volunteering management platform is bought (volunteer360.ro) for the Volunteering Resources Centre
- over 30 volunteers are informed and trained, over 30 volunteering contracts are signed in Bucharest
- over 5 employees of the association are trained to coordinate the volunteering network at a county and local level
- one training session regarding volunteering/year organized at the Volunteering Resources Centre
- a certified consulting firm provides PSI and SSM services for the volunteers.
*** We believe in people and we believe that promoting volunteering in Romania can lead to positive change in society. To do this, we make constant efforts. You can support this program again this year by either:
- directing 2%
- becoming a volunteer
- redirecting 20% to the volunteering programs
- sharing our programs in Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube)
SALVATtex
Description:
SALVATtex is Salvation Army Association social economy enterprise. SALVATtex is a platform that provides training at the workplace or training for employment. SALVATtex is a transition space that helps people in need move from social exclusion to employment and social inclusion. SALVATtex benefits from a sorting process in Ploiesti of the “occasional” textile products that it distributes to the SALVATtex store network that reached its 6th store. Revenue from store sales returns into the social projects ran by The Salvation Army. Through SALVATtex, it is also offered the possibility of professional training at the workplace for disadvantaged youth and parents.
Running time:
January 2015 – March 2018.
Promoter & Parteners:
The Salvation Army in Romania Association, together with The Salvation Army in Norway, Fretex Norway, with Norway Grants funds.
Purpose:
To provide a workplace and a transition period to the associations’ beneficiaries, them being capable of finding a job in a social economy structure (S.E.S.) or in a company. To provide help to beneficiaries by training them for the conditions, standards and requirements of a workplace.
Beneficiaries:
Poor people, persons affected by exclusion from the labor market. Roma people, motivated to be employed or to be trained in order to have access to the labor market. Parents of children with school drop-out risk or at the risk of being abandoned by their family. Particular emphasis is placed on people affected by social exclusion on the labor market.
Results:
- Over 30 beneficiaries had a work contract with SALVATtex
- 6 stores opened during the project
- One warehouse where the sorting and reconditioning process of the clothing took place since December 2015
- A standard vocational guidance methodology prepared for the SALVATtex beneficiaries
- Over 10 vocational training seminars for the SALVATtex employees
- Over 10 vocational training courses with professional qualification diploma for the beneficiaries
- Over 5 articles online about SALVATtex and a blog for SALVATtex on http://www.economiesociala.net/m9-9-0-ro-SALVATtex
*** We believe in people and in that promoting inclusion through social inclusion programs through social economy can lead to positive change in society. To do this, we make constant efforts. You can support this program again this year by either:
- directing 2%
- becoming a volunteer
- redirecting 20% to the volunteering programs
- sharing our programs in Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube)
