Scholarships empowering disadvantaged high-achieving youth

Hope and Homes for Children Romania

Think Human Fund

Mission & History

Part of the global NGO Hope and Homes for Children, our Foundation is dedicated to child protection, working to find sustainable solutions for each vulnerable child we support. We are committed to permanently closing orphanages in Romania by 2027 and preventing family breakdowns caused by extreme poverty.

In its 27 years of interventions, Hope and Homes for Children Romania has supported 43,800 children to stay safe with their parents or extended family and avoid institutionalization, through the Child Protection and Family Reintegration Program. The Foundation has further contributed to the closure of 75 orphanages, and through our efforts, and the efforts of our partners, 128 family-type homes have been developed, with 7,500 children taken out of orphanages and over 2,500 reintegrated into their natural or extended families.

Country Information

Romania’s child protection system has faced significant challenges since the fall of communism, leading to an increase in orphaned and abandoned children. Substantial reforms are underway to shift from institutional care to family-based care.

As of 2021, around 50,000 children remain in the system, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those at high risk of poverty or social exclusion, particularly ethnic minorities like the Roma. Despite progress in education, dropout rates remain critical, especially among children from low-income families, rural areas, and orphanages, with Romania having one of the highest rates of early school leaving in the EU.

Youth unemployment is also a pressing issue, standing at 19.4% in 2023, which disproportionately affects disadvantaged youth lacking necessary networks and skills. Additionally, many children face trauma from early experiences in orphanages, leading to mental health issues that hinder their success. Various NGOs, including Hope and Homes for Children, have been pivotal in closing orphanages, facilitating family care as well as focusing on educational and professional inclusion to break the cycle of poverty.

The Need

Every year, thousands of children are abandoned or separated from their families, whether at birth or later in life, with many, including those with special needs, exiting the child protection system without the essential skills for independent living. Additionally, numerous children remain in orphanages, living in conditions far removed from the warmth and safety of a family home. We believe that every child deserves to thrive in an environment that fosters their well-being, ideally alongside their families.

The lack of access to resources and opportunities for talented children and youth from vulnerable backgrounds is a critical social need. Many of these children, who exhibit exceptional abilities in academics, arts, music, or sports, face significant obstacles, often hailing from orphanages, maternal assistance centers, or families that cannot afford to provide the support necessary to nurture their potential. This initiative aims to create equitable pathways for these gifted individuals, ensuring they have the opportunities they need to excel and succeed in life.

The Project We Fund

At Hope and Homes for Children, we strive to give every child the opportunity for a brighter future by identifying those with exceptional talents in academics, arts, music, and sports. Despite significant challenges, their determination and dedication can transform potential into a better life. However, many of these vulnerable children come from orphanages or maternal assistance centers and lack the necessary resources to develop their abilities. To address this, we will provide targeted support through a scholarship program offering €1,875 per beneficiary, with eight beneficiaries annually for three years.

This three-year project will first identify and evaluate children showcasing exceptional talents, collaborating with the Directorate for Child Protection. Personalized intervention plans will follow, tailored to nurture their unique abilities and ensure access to essential resources and mentorship. Implementation will involve an interinstitutional team to monitor progress and make necessary adjustments. In the final phase, we’ll assess ongoing needs and evaluate if further support is required. This structured approach ensures each child’s continuous development and success.

The Result

To measure the effectiveness of this project, we will establish a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system that includes several key elements.

First, we will conduct baseline assessments in Month 1 to evaluate each beneficiary’s academic performance, skill levels, and social-emotional well-being, creating a reference point for future progress. Regular quarterly progress reports will then provide updates on achievements, challenges, and necessary adjustments, ensuring that stakeholders are informed and can offer appropriate support. At the end of the year, we will perform a thorough annual impact evaluation to compare baseline assessments with final evaluations, allowing us to gauge improvements and long-term outcomes, particularly in regard to career success and sustainability.

Additionally, we will implement feedback loops to gather continuous input from beneficiaries and stakeholders, enabling us to adapt interventions in real-time for enhanced effectiveness.

Finally, we will document individual success stories and transformative experiences to qualitatively showcase the project’s impact.

2025 Midterm Report

Hope and Homes Romania supported beneficiaries from vulnerable backgrounds excelling in academics, arts, music, or sports. Selection is based on both performance and vulnerability, aiming to prevent financial or social challenges from hindering talent or future prospects. Each selected scholar receives tailored support, overseen by social workers, for needs like training, mentorship, and educational materials. The selection process began in April, involving detailed applications from candidates identified by Hope and Homes for Children Romania and evaluated by a diverse jury. Eight children were chosen for support from the received grant, and individualized intervention plans were developed in June to address their specific needs.

– S.T. from Bucharest is 10 years old and a very gifted musician. She has received numerous awards for piano performances, as well as a solo interpreter. She has also recently started to play the pan flute. She comes from a single-parent family, with limited financial resources. She would like to use the funds to buy a wireless microphone used in concert halls to help her perfect her singing skills.

– C.C. is 11 years old and is from Maramures County. She is a rhythmic gymnastics champion. Her mother is disabled (she lost a hand and she also suffers from an illness that makes her lose consciousness often), so her father had to quit his job and look after his wife and his three children (C. also has 2 siblings). The family has a very low income (only EUR 130 per person/month). She needs the funds to pay for sports equipment, training and travelling to sports events.

– C.O. is a 21-year-old from Valcea County, who is studying at the Faculty of Visual Arts in Iasi County. Her father is deceased, and she has 3 other siblings. She manages to live with only EUR 278/ month. She would like to specialize in mural art and she would need the funds to buy educational materials for university: books, school supplies, painting materials.

– F.M. is from Maramures County and is 11 years old. She sings, and has won awards at competitions and festivals. She is a very talented child. She is an only child and both her parents work, but she also has a grandmother who is bedridden and whom the parents are caring for, working in shifts at their regular jobs.

– R.P. is from Iasi and is 16 years old. He comes from a single-parent family, has a sister and has very good grades in school. His hobbies are graphic design, contemplating nature, the outdoors, debating, creative-artistic activities and Math. Both P. and his sister go to boarding school. They were born in Italy and, after their parents divorced, they came back to Romania with their mum. With this scholarship funding, he wants to buy a graphic tablet for architectural projects, shoes and also headphones.

– T.G. spent the last three years in foster care (from 13 to 16 years old). She lives in Gorj County. She is studying violin and theatre and wants to study law in Bucharest. She wants to spend the funds on educational materials: books, school supplies, a course in percussion, buying a musical instrument, and paying for driving school.

– S.C. is 17 years old and is from Neamt County. He received very high grades at the National Assessment 2 years ago (with a maximum grade in math). He is passionate about math, contemporary dance and gymnastics. Math is where he finds himself, being fascinated by logic and reasoning, and dance and gymnastics are activities that help him develop. He was adopted when he was 5 years old. His needs are: school supplies and textbooks, clothing and a laptop.

– S.N. is 22 years old and he is attending the “George Enescu” National University of Arts in Iasi County. Passionate about painting, he studies the works of his great idols (Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent, Diego Velázquez), trying to decipher their techniques. He wishes to strengthen his artistic foundation in order to bring the past into the present and combine classical and academic tradition with contemporary expression. He needs a laptop and accessories, painting materials (brush sets, oil colors, acrylic putty, thinner, palette knife, easel etc.).