SCHEHERAZADE FOUNDATION, in partnership with the Estuar Foundation and Bucsani Commune Hall, is proposing the project: “Life’s One Road– between Bucharest and Europe! – Social services for children and youngsters from Giurgiu County rural area” during 20.06.2014 – 30.04.2016 period.
Why Bucsani?
During the renovation of the Marie Curie Hospital, the president of the Scheherazade Foundation met a dedicated nurse from Scotland, who was searching in Bucsani the mother of an abandoned child (a very seek child who could not see and hear) who died. In that commune, she discovered very poor people, socially excluded, with many children who abandoned school because of their condition. The commune had a high number of children and young people with huge social needs, who were completely marginalised and who were living in a severe misery. Their families had no income, and part of them were living from their children’s social allocations. Impressed by the severe poverty and by the existence of a commune, so close to Bucharest, with such problems, in which so many people were living under the extreme poverty limit, she asked Sheherazade Foundation’s help, knowing that the organisation’s president has the capacity and knowledge to raise funds for children’s causes, for their health and rise out of poverty.
They went several times together and, in November 2012, together with Their Excellencies, the Ambassadors from Norway and Netherlands, and other representatives to identify the needs and find solutions allowing these kids and their families to have a decent life, access to education, and rise their chance to have a better future.
The Commune Mayor jointly with the social assistant were very interested and prepared a range of information to support Scheherazade Foundation to initiate actions to improve children’s life and mainly to rise their chances to have the life they deserve. In this way, a project was initiated in order to bring benefits and help. Meanwhile, this founding opportunity appeared.
Bucsani Commune is composed of seven villages: Bucsani, Vadu-Lat, Podisor, Uiesti, Goleasca, Anghelesti, Obedeni and lies within a radius of 20 km between Podisor and Goleasca. Products generated by inhabitants’ main occupations: agriculture, animals’ husbandry, farming (vegetables) are used especially for their own needs, because they do not have a market where to sell them.
In Bucsani there are 24 economic agents who are not able to offer jobs for the existing need of commune citizens. There are five schools and five kindergartens in Bucsani. Out of 3956 citizens (1766 households), 492 are in severe social risk , 12,5% are living under the subsistence limit. There are people registered by the Commune Hall and, unfortunately, they do not benefit of other services, except the minimum offered by the social benefit.
Like in Giurgiu, in the commune there are a large number of unemployed people or people who stay home as they do not have the proper education fitting the current jobs requirements. The severe poverty and social marginalisation generated a weak school attendance, a rapid school dropout and poor school outcomes for pupils coming from areas which are most affected by social exclusion, respectively the Roma children.
Bucsani Commune “close and far away from Bucharest”: children and youngsters with little chance to thrive in life, although they are entitled as anyone in the country!
Improving the quality of children, youngsters and their families’ life is subject to resolve their needs:
social – networking, mutual respect, self-representation, communication, active involvement in community life
psychological – self-esteem, exploitation and development of its potential, good management of their specific needs, the ability to use their potential
legal – exercise of citizen rights, protection against abuse, information
economic – decent life, independence, continuous training, qualifications adapted to the labor market, etc.
environment – clean and healthy environment, qualitative food, water and air in harmony with nature and the others
Out of 130 families in severe social risk only 6% have an income from salaries, the rest are living at the limit or under the poverty limit.
We want to build a community centre where these children will be cared for, will receive the necessary education from specialized teachers, will also learn to use computers and everything needed to become active citizens of society. The Community Centre will offer counselling, information activities, training and education in parenting, health protection to young people and their families.
We want to reduce marginalization and social exclusion of commune’s children and young people, who come from very poor families, through a generous package of social, educational and health services.
To ensure co-financing or contracting of services at the county level, besides the services of the created social centre (in a building made available by the partner and which will be renovated), we’ll elaborate a Guide of social services in the county jointly with a NGO coalition and we’ll persuade the authorities to respect the existing development strategy.
Permanently involving beneficiaries in decisions, involving the community, as well, we will eliminate mentality that poor people with no education do not have qualities and cannot contribute to community life.
We offer young people IT and entrepreneurship courses, we assist them to remain in the commune, using the opportunities to create businesses in agriculture.
We get visibility through multiple events in the village, county, and at national level, involving business, political and diplomatic representatives. A strategic plan and plan for financial sustainability will be created by supporting the transfer of experience between partners, training employees, and providing secondment.