Romanian Orphans-- History

As I was researching the orphanages in Romania, my heart started breaking for these precious little children. I want to give you all a brief history on why there are so many orphans in Romania, as well as the challenges facing the orphanages and the horrible conditions the orphans are forced to live in. All content taken from http://www.csuchico.edu/engl/faculty/engl1Tom/The%20Orphanages.html.


The children were placed in the orphanages for numerous reasons, but most will blame Ceausescu’s anti-abortion and child requirement laws. Ceausescu required that women have 5 children by the age of 45 before he would allow them birth control or abortions.  However, during the child requirement laws he was also exporting Romania's food to pay off the large national debt.  Families were put in the position to have children that they couldn’t afford or feed.  The unwanted children were sent to the state orphanages.   As time went on it became more and more excepted to leave the unwanted children in the orphanages.  It is so common to put your children in the orphanage that the parents visit once every 6 months and the children are not considered to be abandoned at all.


There are no toys in Romania’s orphanages; instead the children play with dirty needles in old hospital dumping grounds. Westerners were horrified when they got their first look at the Romanian Orphanages when reporters found the orphans left alone for long periods of time, tied to their beds, with bottles of gruel propped into their mouths.  The orphans were so neglected that they failed to show any emotions at all.  They didn’t cry or show anger or even respond to people coming in and out of the room.


The care-workers in the orphanages are poorly trained and only provide the most basic needs for survival.  The babies are not held or given any visual stimuli.  The torn cribs resemble solitary confinement.  The care-workers are cruel and resent giving the orphans attention because they feel like the orphans are getting a free ride while they are working long hours trying to feed their own children.  Children who are cross-eyed or show any form of disability are assumed retarded and are left to find their own food, beds, and clothes. The care-workers are so detached from the children that in some cases the children were hosed down with cold water to be washed.  As a response to the neglect many of the children can be found rocking themselves to sleep in their soiled cribs. 


There is so much sad in this world! Our father greatly longs for the justice of these children to be brought about. He wants them to know His loving touch and deep care for them. Be praying that God is preparing the hearts of specific orphans right to now receive His love this winter break. Also be praying for our interactions with the workers of the orphanages. I'm not exactly sure what kind of orphanage we will be going to, but even if the conditions are better than described above, these workers still need Jesus' love too!