A Trip to Romania

Ruby Rogers-Phillips, Social Media and Content Manager reports:

As a charity bridging two countries, it’s essential for our teams to see first-hand the impact of the funds they help raise. It reinforces the importance of our work in making a lasting difference for those we support in Romania. Recently, I was fortunate enough to join three of our shop managers, Alice Boothroyd from Teddington Kids, Sarah Vines from Islington, and Noemi Colcer from Notting Hill Kids, on a whistlestop trip to Romania to visit the Fundatia FARA programmes.

Our journey began with a warm welcome from Maria Araujo, the Director of Programmes, at Suceava Airport. The first stop was Casa Elisabeta, one of the two FARA Homes for Life, where eight adults with learning disabilities live. Casa Elisabeta is a nurturing environment where the residents, alongside FARA staff, manage everything together—cooking, cleaning, gardening, and preserving food. This approach is at the heart of our work: helping people become self-reliant, build community, and access support. The group also visited St. Mary’s, FARA’s other residential home, which is run in a similar way providing a nurturing and independent home. Many of the residents were taken into FARA’s care directly from the state institutions in the early 1990s by our founder Jane Nicholson. These Homes for Life are the origins of FARA’s charitable work and the reason we exist.

We also had the opportunity to see our Tackling Poverty Through Education programs in action. In Romania, many children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, struggle with educational access after school hours. FARA’s programs address this gap by providing children with a supportive environment where they can complete homework, access the internet, receive academic help, and enjoy a nutritious hot meal. During the visit, we joined the children for lunch and enjoyed an afternoon of arts and crafts.

The trip continued when we visited two therapy centres where children with disabilities receive essential therapies free of charge. At St. Teresa, we participated in group activities with the children, using playdough and painting to support the children’s fine motor and communication skills. Over at Emmanuel, we had the opportunity to observe individual therapies, from physical therapy to sensory rooms which help support children with a huge range of diagnoses. I had the chance to observe a speech therapy session with a six-year-old boy. It was fascinating to see a child learning skills that the majority of people learn at an unconscious age and the knowledge and expertise of the therapist was second to none.

A few words of reflection from my colleagues:

• Alice Boothroyd (Manager, Teddington Kids): “It was incredible to see the amazing work all of the dedicated staff are doing out there. You can clearly see that this isn’t just a job for them; it’s in their hearts. This is a family, and it was such a pleasure to experience a slice of their everyday lives.”
• Noemi Colcer (Manager, Notting Hill Kids): “Visiting Fundatia FARA in Romania was a deeply moving experience. Witnessing the strength and hope of the children and families there has inspired me to do even more to support them and help create brighter futures.”
• Sarah Vines (Manager, Islington): “My experience in Romania was both enlightening and uplifting. Seeing first hand the dedication of the staff has renewed my motivation to contribute more meaningfully to the charity. It was a privilege to witness the remarkable work FARA does.”

Through this journey, the UK team saw the impact of FARA’s mission and the deep dedication of our Romanian colleagues. This experience reaffirmed the importance of our shared efforts, bridging the distance between our UK offices and shops and the communities we support in Romania. For all of us at FARA, the motivation to continue, grow and support this vital work at the forefront of all we do.