Health Aid Romania
HAR has continued the activity of Health Aid UK, started in 1990. It is one of the first foundations who has realized programs in the purpose of improving the quality of life for YPLWHA.
In 1990, within the Infectious Diseases Hospital Colentina, the Health Aid UK Foundation initiated a pilot project aimed to improve the life quality of a big number of HIV infected children who at that were living in the Hospital's sections.
Ensuring a specialized and experienced medical personnel, also the absolutely necessary material donations, had completely contributed to reaching the desideratum.
Subsequently, in 1996 Health Aid Romania was founded, a Romanian foundation aiming to develop some projects for children and youngsters who got HIV infected during '85-'90.
Therefore, the 42 HIV infected children and youngsters who were also abandoned by their families in hospitals or orphanages were the beneficiaries of some programs and activities aimed to improve the life but also to help them develop skills for an independent life.
Despite the fact that for most of these children the predictions on hope of life were sombre, Health Aid Romania (HAR) had decided that each of them has the right to a normal life, regardless of its duration.
Therefore, in 1992 HAR launched the first family house where 8 children from the hospital's sections were taken care of a social mother and father. This was the first family house as such in Romania for HIV infected children.
Over the past years, the Foundation had launched 6 other houses alike, the obtained results being rewarded in 2000 with the Best Practice Award within the Europe Council Conference from Nicosia, Cyprus.
The results of the activities organized and coordinated by the HAR team hadn't been waited too long: starting 2000, due to the Foundation's long term strategy and to the more and more efficient ARV medication, hadn't been registered any AIDS case among the Foundation's beneficiaries.
Further, the Foundation's area of activity and preoccupations extended: from daily care, palliative care, emotional support for lose and decease to ensuring the access to education, integration in the community and recently, development of independent life skills.
Therefore, within the 2nd Round of Global Fund were procured two social apartments where HIV infected youngsters can live under no direct adult supervision.
Due to this modern method of education-learning, the youngsters learn to be more responsible, independent, motivated and above all, can decide alone what they want for their future. In the same time, the program, more generous and developed, allows them to attend professional training sessions, apprentice probations and workshops for acquiring practical skills.
Within the Round 6, HAR is to implement 3 projects, whose main objectives are professional integration, vocational training and acquiring independent life skills.
Through the family type houses, HAR will continue to offer residential services for 17 children and teenagers. Also the two social apartments will offer the opportunity to acquire the skills for independent life for 15 teenagers.
The practical skills will be brushed up by organizing three workshops of vocational orientation, one for furniture manufacturing and two hothouses. Since the driving licence stands for a dream for many beneficiaries, 7 youngsters will attend the courses of a driving school for obtaining the B category driving licence.
The social and education integration of HIV infected children and youngsters is a constant preoccupation of HAR, that is going to continue its already taken efforts and steps, 36 beneficiaries out of 42 attend one of the governmental education form.
