{"id":74304,"date":"2023-12-24T12:42:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-24T12:42:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/projects\/completed-projects\/casa-san-giuseppe-in-romania-2\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T18:57:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T18:57:52","slug":"casa-san-giuseppe-in-romania-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/projects\/completed-projects\/casa-san-giuseppe-in-romania-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Casa San Giuseppe in Romania"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row row_height_percent=”0″ override_padding=”yes” h_padding=”0″ top_padding=”2″ bottom_padding=”2″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ shift_y=”0″][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading text_color=”accent” sub_reduced=”yes” subheading=”Casa San Giuseppe is located in Odorhei, Romania, in the heart of Transylvania, a region that takes us back in time, evoking the Italian countryside of the 1930s and 1940s.”]Casa San Giuseppe in Romania[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_row_inner row_inner_height_percent=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”2″ shift_y=”0″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_gallery el_id=”gallery-931744″ isotope_mode=”cellsByRow” medias=”195″ gutter_size=”3″ screen_lg=”1000″ screen_md=”600″ screen_sm=”480″ single_width=”12″ images_size=”sixteen-nine” single_shape=”round” single_overlay_opacity=”52″ single_overlay_anim=”no” single_padding=”2″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner column_width_percent=”100″ gutter_size=”3″ back_color=”color-lxmt” overlay_alpha=”50″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ medium_width=”0″ width=”1\/2″][vc_progress_bar values=”%5B%7B%22label%22%3A%22Project%20completion%22%2C%22value%22%3A%22100%22%2C%22bar_color_type%22%3A%22uncode-palette%22%2C%22bar_color_solid%22%3A%22%23ff0000%22%2C%22back_color_type%22%3A%22uncode-palette%22%2C%22back_color_solid%22%3A%22%23ff0000%22%7D%5D” units=”%”][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”111903″]To view and print the project click here<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”174448″]APPLICANT<\/strong><\/p>\n

CASA SAN GIUSEPPE \u2013 CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY<\/h3>\n

STR. STEJANFUL \u2013 ODORHEIU SECUIESC \u2013 HARGHITA \u2013 ROMANIA<\/p>\n

For around 20 years, Casa San Giuseppe has welcomed children from all over Romania who face social hardship, are orphaned, or live in extreme poverty. In addition to providing food, accommodation, and care, it supports their education until adulthood. Alongside the approximately 160 children and young people aged 2 to 17 living at the home, it currently supports around 60 former residents studying at Romanian universities, securing scholarships and paying for their student accommodation. Some have already graduated.<\/p>\n

Casa San Giuseppe is a private institution established through the determination of Mother Ionela, who recently passed away. As a private institution, it receives no government funding and relies entirely on the generosity of its benefactors and Divine Providence.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”72423″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”697202″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”116055″]PROJECT TITLE<\/p>\n

FUTURE FOR CHILDREN \u2013 CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE<\/h3>\n

\u201cThose who educate children well deserve greater respect than those who bring them into the world: parents give them life, educators the art of living well.\u201d<\/em>
\n(Aristotle)[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”580723″]PROJECT BENEFICIARIES<\/strong><\/p>\n

The project benefits children aged 3 to 18<\/strong> living at CASA SAN GIUSEPPE, as well as children and young people who visit the home for study, recreation, or sports camps. Every resident has a unique story: some have lost both parents or one parent; others have been abandoned by families unable to support them. Some were forced to work as shepherds at a very young age, witnessed their parents commit unspeakable crimes, or were left behind when their parents went abroad in search of a better life. Relatives or parish priests from their home villages often bring them to Casa San Giuseppe. Some families have left all their children there. Nevertheless, the aim is to preserve ties with their families of origin unless circumstances are particularly serious. During the summer school holidays, many residents therefore spend varying lengths of time with their families.<\/p>\n

During this period, around forty residents remain at the home: those who no longer have any ties with their families of origin. Casa San Giuseppe offers other children living in poverty the opportunity to enjoy a holiday and recreational activities similar to those at our summer camps. Groups of 35\u201340 young guests arrive to spend a week of peace, prayer, and fun.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image media=”72421″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”133306″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image media=”72422″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”106912″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”943444″]PROJECT DESCRIPTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

The FUTURE FOR CHILDREN \u2013 CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE project was created by a group of volunteers and the sister in charge of Casa San Giuseppe in Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania. Their aim is to give children and young people facing socioeconomic or psychological disadvantages, or living with disabilities, the opportunity to take part in original, high-quality creative, recreational, and educational activities, some of them innovative, COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE.<\/p>\n

Casa San Giuseppe could be described as a \u201chome for children in difficulty,\u201d since it welcomes around 150 children from across Romania. Yet a better description might be a \u201cschool of life\u201d or a \u201cgift from heaven,\u201d as the congregation\u2019s founder, Sister Maria Ionela, called it. Through the dedication of Sister Emilia and ten fellow sisters, the children are welcomed, cared for, fed, and, above all, prepared for life according to Christian principles, while receiving support through primary school, secondary school, and university.<\/p>\n

Over more than 20 years, around 400 children have had the opportunity to grow up in a safe, dignified environment, study, and become citizens of the world, with the same opportunities as their peers in more prosperous countries. In addition to its 160 residents aged 3 to 18, Casa San Giuseppe currently supports around 60 university students who will become teachers, doctors, or accountants.<\/p>\n

From their first visit, more than a decade ago, the Italian volunteers recognized that the work of these sisters, led by Sister Emilia, was driven by love and dedication to the children, regardless of their background, religion, or ethnicity. Their sole aim was to rescue them from the hardship, exploitation, and neglect into which they had the misfortune to be born.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”72420″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”189457″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”120409″]PROJECT AIMS AND OBJECTIVES<\/strong><\/p>\n

The FUTURE FOR CHILDREN \u2013 CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE<\/strong> project aims to help Casa San Giuseppe improve the quality of its services, recognizing that education and a good upbringing are the key to changing these children\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

Workshops will encourage relationships, personal growth, and skills development through further study of essential subjects such as foreign languages and information technology. They will serve the home\u2019s residents throughout the school year, as well as the many children who spend a week\u2019s holiday at Casa San Giuseppe during the summer. These groups come from Romanian orphanages where they live in inhumane conditions throughout the year, and will have the opportunity to enjoy a period of peace, education, and learning.<\/p>\n

The FUTURE FOR CHILDREN \u2013 CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE<\/strong> project is important to the community because it brings together children and young people who are too often excluded from everyday social life, integrating them into existing groups and enabling them to participate actively in the community WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION. At the same time, it recognizes and develops their individual qualities, abilities, and talents, offering opportunities and resources they would not normally be able to access.<\/p>\n

The project aims to:<\/p>\n

– Include children and young people from marginalized backgrounds in study groups, encouraging social relationships and integration with their peers;<\/p>\n

– Support learning for those whose families cannot help them and who cannot afford similar activities;<\/p>\n

– Offer opportunities to take part in art, language, sports, and educational workshops alongside peers in a safe, welcoming environment with extensive outdoor spaces. Participants will be able to discover their talents, develop skills, and showcase their achievements through exhibitions, concerts, sports competitions, and documentary activities;<\/p>\n

– Reduce the socioeconomic inequalities intensified by the pandemic through educational and learning activities, as well as play and social interaction;<\/p>\n

– Include young people with disabilities, specific learning difficulties, and different cultural backgrounds in the groups, helping challenge prejudice and stereotypes among their peers and families and contributing to a more welcoming community;<\/p>\n

– Offer a varied range of activities to suit participants\u2019 different abilities and interests. Each will have its own aims and methods while contributing to the project\u2019s overall objectives.<\/p>\n

For children and young people aged 3 to 18, these aims will be put into practice through the following activities at Casa San Giuseppe:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Language workshops led by native-speaking teachers, using the multimedia equipment already available, twice a week.<\/li>\n
  • Computer and advanced technology workshops taught by specialist staff in the home\u2019s classrooms, three times a week.<\/li>\n
  • Classes in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and all school subjects for children and young people who need additional learning support.<\/li>\n
  • Tennis, soccer, swimming, and skiing courses to develop physical coordination and sporting skills.<\/li>\n
  • Art workshops to develop skills in ceramics, woodworking, and techniques such as decoupage, creating both religious and nonreligious objects.<\/li>\n
  • Week-long summer camps for children from Romania, offering access to the activities described above and a chance to enjoy leisure and relaxation away from the severe educational deprivation they experience in everyday life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”141891″]PROJECT TIMELINE, IMPLEMENTATION, AND LOCATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The project will run from September 2021 to August 2022 and may be renewed annually for up to three years.<\/p>\n

    Children and adolescents will be grouped by age and ability. Classes will take place on weekday afternoons, while sports camps will be held at weekends, including winter sports weekends, tennis camps, and swimming camps.<\/p>\n

    Classes will be held at Casa San Giuseppe, which has:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Multimedia classrooms<\/li>\n
    • Art workshops<\/li>\n
    • Music rooms<\/li>\n
    • A fully equipped gym<\/li>\n
    • Tennis and basketball courts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The activities held elsewhere will be swimming lessons at the town\u2019s heated indoor pool and skiing lessons at nearby ski resorts.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”72425″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”519680″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”286808″]EXPECTED OUTCOMES AND BENEFITS\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      The expected outcomes and benefits concern opportunities for children and adolescents to broaden their knowledge and cultural horizons, facilitating their integration into schools and universities. This will give them invaluable support in interacting with their European peers and equal opportunities for future success. Let us not forget that Romania still has a 40% illiteracy rate!<\/p>\n

      PROJECT COST\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      The estimated annual cost of the project is approximately \u20ac10,000 and includes:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Organizing workshops and paying qualified instructors: multimedia workshops to learn and improve computer skills using the equipment in a dedicated classroom at the home were organized from September 2021 to August 2022. Grouped by school age, participants attend three days a week for an hour and a half, for a total of 180 hours.
        \nTotal cost: \u20ac2,500.00<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Organizing sports or cultural camps, including meals and accommodation: sports days and camps are held throughout the year, with snow activities in winter and swimming in summer. A physical education teacher accompanies the children to ski resorts at weekends, taking a different group each week. The estimated cost covers transport, meals, accommodation, and skiing lessons for a total of 10 weekends.
        \nTotal cost: \u20ac3,000.00
        \n<\/strong><\/strong>During the summer, groups of children are taken to the swimming pool for swimming and water-confidence lessons, totaling 80 hours.
        \nTotal cost: \u20ac1,000.00<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Organizing summer stays, including meals, accommodation, and recreational activities. These are primarily intended for children and young people aged 6 to 18 from poor or disadvantaged families throughout Romania, who spend a week at Casa San Giuseppe. Games and recreational activities are organized to give them moments of peace and joy.
        \n<\/span>Total cost for 8 weeks, with around 30 participants per week: \u20ac3,500.00<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        [\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”72427″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”115636″][vc_empty_space empty_h=”2″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”160766″]<\/p>\n

        ACTIVITY REPORT: SEPTEMBER 1\u2013DECEMBER 31, 2021<\/h2>\n

        With the start of the school year and the children\u2019s return to Casa San Giuseppe, the following activities planned under the \u201cFUTURE FOR CHILDREN\u201d project began:<\/p>\n

        1 \u2013 Computer workshops in the multimedia classroom, using the available computers and tablets, for young people aged 10 to 17 grouped by age and ability. Lessons covered the main programming languages and the use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
        \nA total of 100 hours of lessons were delivered at a total cost of \u20ac1,380.00.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        2 \u2013 Winter sports weekends were organized in November and December for six groups of 20 or 21 young people each, with skiing and snowboarding lessons. A physical education teacher accompanied the groups throughout the weekends, which also provided an opportunity for sport and recreation away from their everyday routine.
        \nTotal cost: \u20ac1,800.00<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Total cost of activities from September 1 to December 31, 2021: \u20ac3,180.00<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space empty_h=”2″][vc_custom_heading uncode_shortcode_id=”169360″]Christmas Greetings 2021[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_single_image media=”72429″ media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”112643″][vc_empty_space empty_h=”2″][vc_custom_heading uncode_shortcode_id=”155910″]Television Report[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_single_image media=”768″ media_width_percent=”100″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Casa San Giuseppe is located in Odorhei, Romania, in the heart of Transylvania, a region that takes us back in time, evoking the Italian countryside of the 1930s and 1940s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":195,"parent":74097,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-74304","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","page_category-completed-projects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/74304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74304"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/74304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74309,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/74304\/revisions\/74309"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/74097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}