Ramona Hudrea, 24, was born without a sense of balance. She has to lean on someone or something all day to avoid falling. George Marafet, 15, known affectionately as Giovanni, lives with a different set of handicaps. He was born a Roma, or gypsy, in a family of 7 with a father in jail, a mother out of work, and no real hope of ever finishing school.

Both used to spend their days doing "not much" and struggle with feelings of worthlessness. Both are now beneficiaries of programs run by an exceptional Romanian non-profit association that strives to teach independence and self-respect.  More....

New Hope for Distressed Mining Communities

The Romanian government has closed 520 of 650 mines operating in 1997 and physically erased or converted 120 of those sites. The crumbling of Romania’s once huge mining sector posed an enormous challenge in the late 1990s as the number of mining employees nationwide was halved.

In 1999 the government turned to the World Bank for assistance in creating alternative jobs for ex-miners. After a slow start, their joint efforts to transform the mining communities are starting to pay off.  More... 

Under the communist regime, schools were seen as alien appendages of the state in which parents had no role to play. Not much was done to change this situation during the difficult years of economic transition. 

The World Bank is helping Romania modernize its schools, in particular in long-neglected rural areas. “Our project addresses shortages of material but the main feature is really bringing people together to think about their school’s development.”   More....