Romania is very much still a developing country, although it is now part of the European Union and is striving to become more progressive and modern, poverty is still a big problem in Romania. Because of poverty and the residual communist mentality that institutionalizing children is fine and normal, Romania has many, many orphans and abandoned children. After visiting an orphanage and seeing the horrible conditions that they grow up in, I really feel that there is nothing worse for a child than to be abandoned and to have to grow up in an institution. Most of them have severe developmental issues stemming from the fact that they have never had the chance to bond with anyone in their life time. The state-run orphanages are run-down and dirty. There often isn't enough money for basic items. The children are unfortunately heavily targeted by human-trafficking. It's a sad place. Thankfully there are people who go in and do their best to work with these children. I originally thought that I would also be involved in this sort of ministry as well, but I have to confess that it completely overwhelmed me, and I didn't think I would be able to handle it.
However, God gave me another ministry to work in. I've recently started volunteering at a baby hospital for a couple hours each week after school. It isn't easy either, but I am so thankful to be able to have at least a small impact in the lives of Romanian children.
In Romania, children are not allowed to be put into orphanages until they reach the age of two. Since there is very little foster care available in Romania, that means that most babies are left to live their first two years in the hospital. In the hospital there are usually about three nurses to thirty babies, so not much interaction takes place. The babies are simply left to lay in their cribs all day. I am currently volunteering with an
organization that goes into these hospitals and assists the nurses in caring for the babies.
About two days a week, after school, I take the metro to the opposite side of of the city. I enter the hospital from the back entrance, climb up two flights of stairs, past the stray dog that apparently lives in the stairwell, and into the abandoned baby ward. Every baby has a different story. Some of them were simply left at the hospital, some of them were found abandoned on street corners, and some of them have health problems that their parents didn't feel they could care for. There are about four rooms of cribs with about six babies in each room. The number is always changing. Volunteers are allowed in every room except the newborn room. The walls are covered in bright, albeit slightly strange, paintings of Disney characters and large orthodox icons. I usually just pick a room for the day and try to take turns holding each baby, playing with them, trying to make them laugh, and praying for each baby. At supper time we give them a bottle (that looks like it's been in use since1910) and prop it up in their cribs with a pillow so they can eat. Then I change each of them and put them to bed for the night. The Romanian nurses are often sitting in another room, smoking and watching TV during this time. It's just a job to them, and they don't put more than minimal effort into it. This is not true for all of the nurses, but definitely for some. Sometimes I cry when I leave for the night. Each child deserves to have someone to care for them all the time and love them, but I am glad I can at least put a smile on their face.
