Holt International Children's Services

Romania Branch

 Holt International Children’s Services (www.holtinternational.org) started to work in Romania in 1991 on a program of evaluation of the needs and direct services for children and families on an initial USAID project of $ 325.000.

1992 - Holt International Children’s Services was accredited by the Romanian Government to develop activities in child protection.

1993 - Holt International Children’s Services – Romanian branch signed a cooperative agreement with USAID to support prevention of institutionalization of children through 1995 with a $1.6 million grant. With funding increase Holt shifted focus to include prevention of abandonment. The name of the project was FUTURE OF ROMANIAN CHILDREN. HICS trained 46 social assistants to lay the groundwork positive changes in Child Protection in Romania. This project also meant the foundation of two Centers of Social Services (Bucharest in March 1993 and Constanta in June 1993) expanding the services to prevent abandonment in these two regions in Romania.The year 1993 registered the beginning of Domestic Adoption Program, Foster Care Program and Social Services for HIV infected children.

1994 - Holt International Children’s Services – Romanian branch started to develop Pregnancy Counseling/Crisis Intervention program under the extension of USAID project. Training also extended to government program partners.

1995 - An additional $175,000 grant from USAID came in  to continue the services.The name of the project was PREGNANCY COUNSELING and SERVICES FOR FAMILIES AT RISK.

1996 - Foster Care Program was recognized as a “best model of practice” by the Romanian government. The first three HIV infected children were placed in Foster Care. In 1996 The Center for Mother and Child (Shelter) was opened in Bucharest.

1997 - Holt International Children’s Services opened its third regional office in Targu Mures.

1998 - The organizational development continued when Holt International Children’s Services received a $1 million grant from USAID (1999-2002) to achieve significant reductions in the number of institutionalized children in the target counties of Constanta and Iasi through preventative and permanency planning services. So, at the beginning of 1999 the fourth HICS Center in Romania was born: Iasi.CHILD WELFARE project (in partnership with WORLD VISION and BETHANY) was greatly successful and the impact on children “in distress” from the 2 regions of Romania was very significant.

2002 - HICS decided to found 2 Romanian indigenous NGOs:

HOLT ROMANIA – FOUNDATION OF CONSULTANCY AND SOCIAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, which took over the entire experience, expertise and programs that HICS gathered and developed in Romania for more than 10 years of activity, as well as the staff’s dedication in changing the lives of at risk, abandoned and homeless children.

Holt Romania – FCSSCF is based in Constanta City and has regional branches in Bucharest, Iasi and Targu Mures. CLOSE TO YOU (www.alaturidevoi.ro), which took over the program of social services and Foster Care for HIV children. CTY is based in Iasi and has social workers in Constanta and Targu Mures as well.