Social orphans in Sibiu

The institution is a type of orphanage that, at the moment, takes in 34 ‘social orphans’ for one year after they have graduated from school, when they are between approximately 18 and 20 years of age.
Four to five adolescents share one room in a multi-level building that has a total of ten rooms. They have a bed and are provided with bed linen and bedding. One wardrobe per room has to be enough for their personal belongings.
Within the first half year, the adolescents will not have to pay for their accommodation, after that only a very small amount is due. During their stay in the orphanage, they are to learn how to organize their lives independently. They receive support in finding a job.
The project’s objective is for the adolescents to be able to live on their own income and to rent a room with two or three others.
The overall project is run by an Orthodox priest and his wife, who is a social worker. Since they are hardly able to handle all the work on their own, another social worker has been hired part-time in July of 2007.
At the moment, the organization ‘Soroptimists’ finances these two women’s entire salaries from donations alone (including taxes and deductions, the monthly salary of a full-time employee is EUR 200.)
In addition to these salary payments, the Soroptimists are trying to stock up on essential items, which are to help the adolescents in setting up or, respectively, furnishing their own little ‘households’.
(translated by betterplace)