Children in Distress, one of Romania’s oldest charities which has helped thousands of children and young adults with special needs, will dedicate a new family-style children’s hospice this week outside Bucharest.
The new hospice, „Casa Maria”, is located in Popești Leordeni, south of Bucharest, and will be opened on Thursday by Princess Maria of Romania, the charity’s royal patron who will cut the ribbon.
Father Ionut Tutea, mission officer for the Romanian Orthodox diocese of Bucharest will bless the house, a press release sent to Universul.net said.
Casa Maria will offer personal care and medical assistance, permanent supervision, daily nutrition, physical rehabilitation, and recreational and cultural activities for children living there.
Children in Distress was established following the 1989 anti-communist revolution to care for orphaned children with HIV/AIDS.
The charity currently runs hospices for terminally ill and severely neurologically and physically compromised children, most of whom are abandoned.
Children in Distress also runs an afterschool and weekend program for at risk children in Curtea de Arges, central Romania. It provides bursaries to middle school students in Arges County who demonstrate academic excellence and whose families do not have funds for items such as laptops, school supplies and clothing.
Since 1990, Children in Distress has served over 300 children in its hospices, and approximately 20,000 children and young adults through its various programs.
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