Education for 50 disadvantaged Romanian children

With this report we would like to thank you once more for your valuable support.

Thank you for helping us in keeping the dream of the Center Pinocchio for children in need in Panciu alive, an aid in their growth that they will not forget, and that we will never forget.

Today, we would like to share with you Patricia’s words, a young volunteer in Panciu.

Patricia, what do you do at the Center Pinocchio?
There are two types of activities I do at the Center: summer and year-round.
In this period of the year I get involved in the activities of the center every day, 2 hours a day. When I get to the center, I help the children with their homework.
In addition, we also do socializing, games, celebrations, theatre, etc. We have different thematic activities such as the ones we did about our poet Mihai Eminescu.
We give the children worksheets, we put on the wall their works to make them feel appreciated and proud of themselves.
During this period we put more emphasis on school activity, this is the most important issue for them now.
In summer they daily come to the Center, from 12:00 to 16.00. And we do several funny and creative activities: like ecological games, we aim to develop them constantly.

Tell me about an activity that you like more.
Bingo is one of my and children's favorite game. We give the children a maths sheet with several exercises and when they finish solving them, we tell them the results, they tick the correct ones and depending on how many points they have collected, they receive different gifts from us. That's how we get them involved and how they like math.

How long have you been volunteeering at the Center Pinocchio?
I've been coming to the Center for 9 months. Initially I came with some donation from my school. After, I decided I wanted to get more involved. I really liked the activities here, I feel like in a family.
When I was little and I needed help, I didn't always know where I could get it. That's why I decided to start volunteering here, to be able to help the little ones when they need it.

How do you feel at the Center?
I feel good, I adjusted quickly. The children know that they can count on me, and ask for my help. We get along very well.

What have you learned so far?
Most of all, I noticed the honesty and sincerity of the children. They express what they feel and think, and they have a pure soul. They make me discover the child that is in me, and I learn more about myself with them.

What challenges have you faced so far in working with children?
No matter what challenges I faced, I did well. When I come to the center it is an exercise for me to keep calm. At the Center we have a system of motivating them with red and green cards. We offer them green cards when they are good and vice versa, when they do something wrong they receive red and orange cards according to the situation. The cards are placed on a panel next to each child, and at the end of the week we discuss about their behavior during the week.

How does this volunteering experience is helping you? 
I developed my communication skills. This experience made me better understanding what was going on around me. The children are very energetic and make me more active.
I had forgotten many things of my childhood but now I remember more what does it mean to live honestly and with a pure soul.

Thank you children!!!