Romania Country Information

• Almost half (45 percent) of Romanians make their living from subsistence farming.
• One out of two Romanians dies of heart disease due to poor nutrition.

The Romanian people began to establish themselves, together with the Romanian language, between the first and seventh centuries A.D. According to ecclesiastic history, the inhabitants who lived north of the Danube received the Gospels from Apostle Andrew and his disciples in the first to third centuries A.D.

Romanian churches, representing landmarks in history, are superb monuments of art and architecture. Created with a variety of construction and painting, they convey the spirit of an ancient culture, philosophy, art, and technique.

The Ukrainians, who live in the northernmost region of Romania, near the border, are famous for their beautifully painted Easter eggs, a long standing tradition kept alive by the older women.

The Turkish community lives in the southeastern part of the country, near the Black Sea coast. They are reminders of the Ottoman Empire - conquerors from Turkey who laid claim to the Balkans years ago. Their mosques in the cities of Constanta and Mangalia have become a major tourist attraction. One local story says that children often go looking there for the flying rugs of the Arabian Nights.

The Serbs, living near the border with former Yugoslavia are famous for their colorful traditional costumes and music.

Romania, a republic on the lower Danube River in southeastern Europe, is surrounded by the Black Sea on the east, Moldava and Ukraine on the north, Hungary and Serbia on the west, and Bulgaria on the south.

Romanian spans roughly 91,800 miles, about the size of Oregon.

Beginning in 1965, Nicolae Ceausescu controlled the communist state. Orthodox socialist social and economic policies and a reliance on Stalinist methods characterized his 24-year rule. In December 1989, Ceausescu was overthrown and executed in a violent revolution that brought Ion Iliescu and the National Salvation Front to power.

Some 89.1 percent of the population is considered to be ethnic Romanian; 8.9 percent are ethnic Hungarians; and 0.4 percent are Germans. The latter two are concentrated in Transylvania. One-half of Romania’s people live in rural areas, making it among the least urbanized European country. The capital, Bucharest, is the largest city.

Education is mandatory and free for Romanians from age 6 to 16. The first eight years are spent in primary and junior secondary schools, and the last two to five years may be spent in a variety of secondary institutions.

While health care is free, the facilities — a network of hospitals, clinics and sanatoriums staffed by trained professionals — are overcrowded and suffer from a lack of equipment and medicines.

Romania’s major natural resources are its fertile soils and rapidly descending waters, which are ideally suited for electric power generation. Romania’s once-important petroleum reserves are nearly depleted, although new fields are constantly being explored and tapped. Natural gas and coal deposits exist, and lead, zinc, sulfur and salt are sufficient for domestic needs.

Romania’s principal crops are corn, wheat, rye, sugar beets, potatoes, oilseeds, vegetables, and fruit. Dairy products, wines and spirits and prepared meats also are produced.

Where is the project located?
Cluj is located in northwestern Romania in the Transylvania region. The area is primarily rural, as Romania is the least urbanized of all European countries.

How do the people make a living?
More than 60 percent of rural households in Romania survive by subsistence farming. World Vision has begun working in agricultural reform stimulating the creation of community-based credit cooperatives.

What are the goals of the project?
Cluj Family Partnership was initiated to empower the local community to lead it’s own development by addressing education, health, spiritual, social, and community services. The program addresses the issues that lead to family dysfunction and child abandonment, rather than their resulting symptoms.

What challenges does the community face?
Economic and financial pressures bearing down on individuals and families are a primary reason for child abandonment in Romania. Even when families possess useful skills to support themselves, without having the resources necessary to establish business activity, they remain trapped in poverty. Microenterprise development breaks this cycle of poverty by providing small loans to start family or community businesses. World Vision's aim is to provide access to credit for the microenterprise sector in a sustainable, long-lasting, and flexible manner in order to create employment opportunities, and promote better living standards.

What are World Vision’s first priorities for the project?

• Improve school attendance and reduce dropout rates among children from sponsored families.
• Improve primary health services and reduce malnutrition.
• Encourage the development of successful family businesses.
• Share our faith, hope, and Christian values through Christ-like living and caring actions.