Children with disabilities

BUCHAREST, 18 April 2024. Bucharest, through the General Directorate of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest (DGASMB), and UNICEF Romania inaugurated on Thursday a new integrated social services unit for vulnerable children in the Capital. The Respiro Centre for children with disabilities and their families "The Magical Rainbow" will…

Brasov, 18 March 2024 – Rares Achiriloaie, President of the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoptions, Roxana Minzatu, Secretary of State, Coordinator of the Department for Integrated Evaluation and Monitoring of Programmes Financed from Public and European Funds, and Anna Riatti, UNICEF Representative in Romania,…

What is Aurora?, Aurora is a real-time evaluation and monitoring tool that helps community workers and authorities. Aurora records data about people, households, communes, and cities (town halls) collected over time by community workers and field operators. On-site activity is monitored by county coordinators at General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child…, How is Aurora working?, A mobile app that is used in field work by local field professionals for case management. The application collects data about all members of the household, generates a diagnosis of vulnerabilities of children and women, and then suggests a basic service package.   A web platform that aggregates data at local, county and national level. With this…, Evolution of the Aurora project over the years, 2011, The "First Priority: No Visible Child" project was launched to recommend: "There should be a methodology for fully diagnosing vulnerabilities based on a grid of indicators to be applied uniformly to all children and all communities. methodology, correlation of vulnerabilities diagnosed with the individual intervention plan. The new methodologies,…, 2013, The Risk and Vulnerability Identification Methodology was developed with the support of CERME and CPSS. The methodology records data about all members of the household and involves the collection of widely accepted indicators for relevance to the situation of children and their families and measures 17 vulnerabilities and 37 sub-vulnerabilities.…, 2014, The software tool, comprised of the mobile application and the web platform, was developed with the support of the ATTA Systems team. The system is implemented and tested in 32 rural localities of the most vulnerable communities in 8 counties, with the support of over 90 community workers and county coordinators. Within one year of the project,…, 2015, The evaluation of the project "Social inclusion through the provision of integrated services at the community level" shows the first results of using Aurora to provide the minimum service package. The adjacent graph shows the dynamics of the households monitored during the project. The first data collection for a household is recorded as T0 and…, 2017, With the support of the ATTA Systems team, the Health and Social Services Map of Bacau County has been developed to support the Bacau County Council in planning support measures for children and families in situations of vulnerability, marginalization and exclusion. The social and medical service map is integrated with Aurora to enable field…, 2018, Aurora is only used as a data collection tool for the last component of the project to deinstitutionalize children in institutions and ensure the transition of their care in the community. The system is used to review all households with children from 30 communes located in 29 counties in Romania with the help of 400 community workers. 8,865…, 2019, The evaluation of the project "Social inclusion through the provision of integrated services at the community level" shows the first results of using Aurora to provide the minimum service package. The adjacent graph shows the dynamics of the households monitored during the project. The first data collection for a household is recorded as T0 and…, 2020, Following the UNICEF modelling project, the Government of Romania enacted Law No. 231, mandating the use of the Minimum Package of Services (MPS) model nationwide, which supports the provision of services for vulnerable children and families, provided at a local level, with the aid of Aurora.  , 2021, A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption and UNICEF Romania, with the scope of handing over Aurora for national scale-up and future integration within the national management information system for children (SINA - National Integrated Systems for Adoption).  , 2022, The technical development on SINA continues, supported by the Competitiveness Operational Programme (POC) 2014/2020, under the framework of a National Strategy for the Digital Agenda and the Integrated Plan for simplifying administrative procedures. Concurrently, the UNICEF's programme and case management activities - relying on continuous use of…, 2023, By enactment of Law No. 156 on prevention of separation of children from their families, the National Child Observatory is established and regulated embedding Aurora as SINA's prevention component, and the activities of identifying vulnerabilities, initiating case management for children, and providing the minim package of social services for…, The current situation, Aurora contains data about Children 29,800 CHILDREN People 172,352 PEOPLE Households 57,568 HOUSEHOLDS Vulnerabilities 160,017 VULNERABLE PEOPLE *The displayed data reflects the real-time status, featuring the most recent household information as of December 31, 2023., What type of data Aurora provides, Unregistered child with family doctor Unregistered child with family doctor, Unregistered child with family doctor. The adjacent graph shows the dynamics of the households monitored during the project. The first data collection for a household is recorded as T0 and shows the situation at the initial time. After every 9 months, according to the methodology, data collection is recorded at T1, T2, ..., Tn and shows the…, UNICEF Unvaccinated child Unvaccinated child, Unvaccinated child. The adjacent graph shows the dynamics of the households monitored during the project. The first data collection for a household is recorded as T0 and shows the situation at the initial time. After every 9 months, according to the methodology, data collection is recorded at T1, T2, ..., Tn and shows the dynamics of the household…, UNICEF Child without identity papers Child without identity papers, Child without identity papers. The adjacent graph shows the dynamics of the households monitored during the project. The first data collection for a household is recorded as T0 and shows the situation at the initial time. After every 9 months, according to the methodology, data collection is recorded at T1, T2, ..., Tn and shows the dynamics of…, UNICEF Child at risk of school drop-out Child at risk of school drop-out, Child at risk of school drop-out. The adjacent graph shows the dynamics of the households monitored during the project. The first data collection for a household is recorded as T0 and shows the situation at the initial time. After every 9 months, according to the methodology, data collection is recorded at T1, T2, ..., Tn and shows the dynamics of…, UNICEF Children living in poverty Children living in poverty, Children living in poverty by municipalities within one district/county., UNICEF Aurora Case Management App Aurora Case Management App, The information about the individuals in the image is fictional and provided as an example, UNICEF Aurora data reporting on children vulnerability Aurora data reporting on children vulnerability, The information about the individuals in the image is fictional and provided as an example, UNICEF Unregistered child with family doctor Unvaccinated child Child without identity papers Child at risk of school drop-out Children living in poverty Aurora Case Management App Aurora data reporting on children vulnerability, VIDEOS, Find out more about Aurora, If you're interested in understanding how Aurora improves the lives of vulnerable children, reach out to us at:  bucharest@unicef.org or vtomus@unicef.org . A set of relevant documentation is available at all times in Aurora and can be tailored to match different humanitarian and country-specific contexts. This customizable repository includes…

Brasov, 17 October 2023. The National Ambassador for UNICEF, Andreea Marin, visited on Monday the Integrated Community Centre in Brasov, which is part of the project "Romania for every child. Ensuring social inclusion - breaking the vicious circle of exclusion for the most vulnerable children in Romania", implemented by UNICEF from 2021 in Brașov…

What could you do when your mother, the keystone of your childhood, falls ill and can no longer support you? When you see how a heavy disease transforms her before your eyes, condemns her to an unrecognizable body, to an unrecognizable, unfathomable life, and then is taken from you? What if your father were not present in your life either? , How to lock yourself away in a chamber of time?, Andreea, a 15-year-old girl from Bacau County, has managed to stop time in its tracks. In the small cottage where she lives with her grandfather on top of a hill, one of the two rooms is a "chamber of time": here, multiple clocks each point to different hours, as if time had stopped at every turning point of her life. All around, the hills and…, Love walled-in by silence , There are children who can't cope with the pain and they build walls to surround themselves, they close themselves off out of fear and all they want is to have someone with them, not to be alone. Andreea is such a child. Her mother's death brought her even closer to her grandfather. He is the magician between her walls, the one who manages to pass…, UNICEF and the Integrated Community Centre: the bridge between two worlds , Grandpa was also the one who enrolled Andreea in 2022 in the programs of the Integrated Community Centre set up with the support of the Municipality of Moinești. When the social worker told him about this Community Centre as part of UNICEF's "Romania for every child" initiative, he didn't hesitate for a moment. With a deep understanding of life,…, You too can leave a positive mark in children’s lives! , For these Integrated Community Centres to become a constant reality in Romania we need your help. You can make a difference in the lives of these children right now: send an SMS with the word CHILD to 8844 and donate 2 euro every month or make a monthly donation online at www.unicef.ro to support the Integrated Community Centres. Donation by…

UNICEF in Romania will launch a new integrated awareness and fundraising campaign for children with disabilities. The TV component is conducted in partnership with Antena3, which provides pro-bono access to broadcast space to promote the campaign. The campaign messages will be also promoted on our digital channels. The campaign will start on…, Our support for children with disabilities, UNICEF supports the progress of children with disabilities and their families through Integrated Community Centres, where access to needed specialist services is free of charge. In these centres, parents find support from therapists in areas such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychotherapy - much needed services for children like Darius and…

A single day can divide a parent's life in two: before the diagnosis and after. Sooner or later, a parent adapts to whatever God gives them to carry, for their child, fights tirelessly, searches for solutions, doctors, appropriate therapies and clings to every sliver of hope. They know that a small hope can become, in time, a miracle. What brings…, Our powers, united   , The first big turning point in Denisa's life was when a severe epileptic seizure at the age of 4 sent her straight into a coma. Doctors gave her very little chance of survival then. "2 weeks" sounds like a sentence and these are words that carry with them a crushing power. "It's a miracle if she lives for two more weeks, ma'am," doctors told…, Good people and communities  , It's been four years since the Corbasca community team has had Denisa in the spotlight. The friendship between Denisa and the physiotherapist looking after her at the Integrated Community Centre in Corbasca, which opened in 2021, is starting to bear increasingly visible fruit.  "I feel a joy when I see her, because I like children. I've been…, UNICEF in Denisa's life  , UNICEF supports the progress of children with disabilities and their families through Integrated Community Centres, where access to needed specialist services is free of charge and accessible in their communities. In these centres, parents find support from therapists in areas such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychological counselling - much…, Make a difference in children's lives too!  , We would like these Integrated Community Centres to become a constant reality in all areas of Romania and we need your help. You can make a difference in the lives of these children right now with a monthly online donation that helps us continue the work of the Integrated Community Centres for vulnerable children.  Together we can make life a…

Darius seems to have an extra heart. One with which he loves unconditionally and the other with which he loves again and smiles. Children often get upset if a toy is taken away from them or they are denied something. Adults also hold on to their anger for a painfully long time sometimes. Not Darius.    "I learn from him how to love, especially.…, UNICEF in Darius' life  , UNICEF supports the progress of children with disabilities and their families through Integrated Community Centres, where access to needed specialist services is free of charge. In these centres, parents find support from therapists in areas such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychotherapy - much needed services for children like Darius and…, Leave a mark in the lives of children!   ,  We would like these Integrated Community Centres to become a constant reality in all areas of Romania, and we need your help. You can make a difference in the lives of these children right now by making a monthly online donation to help us continue the work of the Integrated Community Centres for vulnerable children.    Together we can make life…

Beatrice's voice echoes incessantly from morning to night in her family’s home. She is the youngest of her sisters, but she manages to capture everyone's attention and create suspense and excitement even in the simplest stories she tells.    Do you know what Beatrice's secret is? That she finished grade 0 and will pass to grade 1, then to grade 2…, Beatrice: The mirror of a community , The Integrated Community Centre has become a second home for children from vulnerable families in Colonesti and nearby communities. The centre's minibus brings children and members of their families to the centre on a rotating basis to receive medical, educational and counselling services, as well as recreational and outreach activities. Most of…, Leave a mark in the lives of children!   , In order for these Integrated Community Centres to become a constant reality in all areas of Romania, we need your help. You can make a difference in the lives of these children right now by making a monthly online donation that helps us to continue the work of the Integrated Community Centres for vulnerable children.   Together we can make life a…

This Practice Guide aims to help UNICEF-supported health programmes to integrate UNICEF’s commitment to disability inclusion. The Guide provides a series of indicative actions for disability inclusion at each stage of the programme cycle. It focuses on systems-wide (e.g. CRPD-compliant budgeting) and service-specific (e.g. newborn care,…

Ana-Maria has been bringing Ionuț to the Integrated Community Center in Colonesti for more than a year. Having turned two years old, Ionuț, who was born with both legs twisted inwards, has already gone through two orthopedic operations. But the surgical interventions now need to be supported by physical therapy, which he receives free of charge at…

IASI, ROMANIA. For the last two months Lilia, 7, is attending classes for Ukrainian children in one of the UNICEF-supported centers in Iasi, Romania. These classes are based on a Ukrainian curriculum and are adapted for Lilia, who has a developmental delay and experiences difficulties with learning.  “Every morning Lilia asks me ‘Am I going to the…, Learning helps Ukrainian children with disabilities get a sense of normality , After arrival to Romania, Eugenia introduced Lilia to online classes organized by a school in Ukraine, but Lilia’s attention span was very short, and it was hard for her to stay concentrated. When Eugenia learned about the classes organized with a Ukrainian teacher with the support of UNICEF in Iasi, she decided to give it a try.  Now, every…, Teacher without borders  , Galina Vlasenko from Kiev is a very experienced teacher and back in Ukraine she was teaching children English and French language classes. She also fled Ukraine and came to Romania with her family. She first started volunteering as a teacher for a small group of Ukrainian children and later with the support of UNICEF was offered an opportunity to…