Although the trend of volunteering is not necessarily new in Romania, it is not as common here as in Western European countries. Nevertheless, by focusing on the younger generations and recruiting students, NGOs are able to find their volunteers.
These diverse organizations work for social change, and encourage (the youth especially) sustainable thinking for Romania’s future. In addition, quite a few organizations focus on implementing a more widespread sense of social responsibility.
Address: 3, Intrarea Pristolului
Web: www.fundatiacaleavictoriei.ro
Contact person: Sandra Ecobescu
City Compass partners several cultural events with this foundation.
They offer workshops for Romanians and are starting to offer more for expats and English on different topics.
Address: 7, Rotasului St., Sect. 1,
Phone: +40 21 222 91 01
Web: www.worldvision.ro
www.meero.worldvision.org
Annually, World Vision Romania supports more than 16,500 children and 2, 500 families as direct beneficiaries of its programs.
Address: 25-27, Ing. Cristian Pascal St., Second Floor,
Web: www.salvaticopii.ro
The Salvati Copii Organization is one of the largest NGOs dedicated to helping children. One of their focal points is their youth drug and alcohol education.
The organization also offers family and individual counselling, psychotherapy and other programs.
Address: 8, Suvenir St., Sector 2
Web: www.maimultverde.ro
Mai Mult Verde focuses on environmental issues. Many of its projects in the past years have been supported by the mass media and were received with special enthusiasm by students in Bucharest.
Address: 26, Intrarea Buturugeni St.
Web: www.viitorplus.ro
Viitor Plus also focuses on environmental problems, especially on preserving and replanting Romania’s forests and encouraging recycling programs in Bucharest.
Phone: +40 262 227 419
Web: www.hhc.ro
Hope and Homes for Children is a non-governmental organization working with the poorest and most vulnerable children in Romania. They work to close down old state-run institutions for orphans, abandoned or vulnerable children and create an infrastructure of family type homes, day-care centres, emergency reception centres, mother and child units and counseling centres.
Web: www.copaculdehartie.ro
Copacul de Hartie encourages recycling and offers companies a waste paper removal service. Get in touch with them and they will pick up your waste paper for recycling on a monthly basis.
Web: www.drifi.net
Drifi supports scientific and cultural exchange in order to give Romanian educational institutions access to the development of national and international research programs. They also offer scholarships for students aiming to publish papers relating to these efforts.
Web: www.hospice.ro
Contact person: Marc Jenner, Fundraising Director
Hospice “Casa Sperantei” is the largest NGO in Romania dedicated to introducing and developing palliative care for children and adults with cancer, leukemia and other incurable illnesses.
Phone: +40 767 808 405
Web: www.gia.org.ro
Contact Person: Dana Puscoci
GIA is an association which promotes animal rights. They offer a special program called Therapist Pets, which is a complementary therapy program assisted by animals. They also offer animal adoptions, so if you or anyone you know wants a pet, try here first.
Address: Balotesti, Jud Ilfov, 291D, Unirii St.
Web: www.humananimalrights.com
The NGO was started by Cristina Topescu, a prominent Romanian journalist, who loves animals. Their focus is mainly on minimizing unwanted pregnancies by sterilization and the purpose is to find adoptive homes for the result of non-sterilization by sending the animals to other countries, mainly Germany, Switzerland, Austria.
Phone: +40 21 315 88 06
Web: www.ovid.ro
Contact Person: Leslie Hawke, founder
Ovidiu Rom is a charitable foundation which runs programs for poor children, allowing them access to education. It has started a program in Bacau county and aims at getting young children into kindergarden and school.
Phone: +40 745 821 573
Web: www.thelittle-people.org
Contact person: Shajjad Rizvi, president
The Little People provides care for children and young people affected by cancer. It runs several patient support programs in hospitals across Romania.
Address: 9 Pache Protopopescu Blvd.
Phone: +40 21 310 23 03
Contact person: Martin Schiere, executive director
CliniClowns Romania is a non-profit organization present in Romania since 1995 whose goal is to improve the life of hospitalized children. It works with a team of professional clowns who visit sick children periodically and try to improve their state of mind.
Address: 35 Clabucet St.
Phone: +40 21 224 46 08
Light into Europe’s objective is to help the Romanian sensory disadvantaged children and young people to improve their lives.
