YANA Foundation, Sf. Ioan Calabria Foundation, Favor Association and D.A.S. Bacău announce the launch of the project “Home: actions and services to prevent separation and strengthen the family of origin”

YANA Foundation, together with its partners Sf. Ioan Calabria Foundation, Favor Association and the Department of Social Assistance of Bacău Municipality (D.A.S. Bacău), announces the beginning of the project “Home: actions and services for preventing separation and strengthening the family of origin” on March 1st, 2025. The project will run for 36 months and is co-funded by the European Union, from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), through the Social Inclusion and Dignity Program 2021-2027.

The project continues YANA Foundation’s successful partnership with Sf. Ioan Calabria Foundation and Favor Association in implementing a project of a similar scale. In the present project, the three private social service providers are joined by D.A.S. Bacău, a public structure with extensive experience in providing services to prevent child separation from the family.

The aim of the “Home” project is to increase access to community services for disadvantaged children and families from six administrative-territorial units in Bacău County, in order to prevent the separation of children from their families and reduce the number of children entering the special protection system. The support services are aimed at a minimum of 266 children from Bacău County, the communes of Mărgineni, Nicolae Bălcescu, Berzunți, Răcăciuni, Filipeni and Bacău Municipality. At least 27 of them are Roma children. Interventions are also addressed to the children’s parents through support services and material support.

Children will be offered support for developing independent living skills, psychological and emotional assistance, medical care and recovery, homework support, financial education, networking and vocational guidance.

Parents of the children will attend a parenting education program, including psychological counseling. In order to cultivate a closer parent-child relationship, parents will participate in activities with their children. Parents will be constantly informed about their children’s psychological, educational and personal development status and progress as a result of the services they receive within the project. Material support will be provided to the children’s families, depending on their actual participation in the activities offered.

Through several campaigns, the partner organizations will grow awareness on the situations of vulnerability faced by children and families in the communities targeted by the project. Prevention and reducing the consumption of alcohol and drugs will be one of the themes.

The expected results are to improve the quality of life of at least 266 disadvantaged children from the Bacău county, the communes of Mărgineni, Nicolae Bălcescu, Berzunți, Răcăciuni, Filipeni and the municipality of Bacău. The children’s parents will improve their parenting skills regarding hygiene, nutrition, physical and mental health, family planning and legal counseling. A central place in the work with parents will be the discussion on the need for education and the importance of school participation of their children for a dignified life and a decent living in the community.

“Working for and with the most vulnerable people can be sisyphean. Those we accompany carry burdens added over generations, and change requires patience. But change always comes when help is offered with perseverance, dedication and professionalism. At YANA, we invest mainly in the care and the education of children and supporting their families, working to reduce the risk of family abandonment. Every day means stone upon stone laid at the foundation of several hundred children and parents whose lives are being transformed, in small but sure steps.”

Gabriela Mateiu, President of YANA – You Are Not Alone Charitable Foundation

The total value of the project, which is subject to non-refundable financing, is 9.945. 994,20 lei, of which 8.454.095,07 lei will be allocated by the European Union and 1.475.984,86 lei will be allocated by the Romanian Government.

The project “Home: actions and services to prevent separation and strengthen the family of origin”, project code 330329, implemented in partnership by YANA Foundation, Sf. Ioan Calabria Foundation, Favor Association and the Social Assistance Department of the Municipality of Bacău, is co-financed by the European Union, from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), through the Social Inclusion and Dignity Program 2021-2027, Operation: Action 5.4 ESF + Community services for children and families, to prevent separation. The project will run for a period of 36 months, between March 2025 – February 2028 and will support a minimum of 266 children in Bacău County.