Ana Maria entered the door of the Adina Foundation at the age of 7. She came from a family without financial resources, with the desire to be more. Today, at almost 22 years old, she is a budget student at the Faculty of Dental Medicine in Craiova and an active volunteer in the community. Her story is one of the hundreds of proofs that show us that education, consistent social support and a dedicated NGO can change destinies.
Ana Maria's story: 14 years of transformation with an NGO
In 2012, Ana Maria first stepped through the door of the Adina Foundation. She was 7 years old and came from a family without the necessary financial resources to support her education. She was enrolled in our educational programs, designed for children at risk of dropping out of school in Dolj County.
Ten years later, in 2022, Ana Maria was preparing for her high school diploma in the Adina Educational program. She hadn’t given up. She hadn’t fallen through the cracks of a system that often leaves children from vulnerable families behind. She had managed, with her own perseverance and constant support, to get there.
Today, 14 years after her first meeting with the foundation, Ana Maria is a second-year student at the Faculty of Dental Medicine in Craiova, with high grades in all her exams. Moreover, she also volunteers in the Adina Foundation community, becoming a role model for children who are now following the same path she took.
Ana Maria is just one example of the hundreds of children that the Adina Foundation has supported over the years. With ambition, dedicated volunteers and the resources provided by the foundation, each of them has been able to build a future that may, at one point, have seemed impossible.
Why NGO support makes a difference in preventing school dropout
Romania has one of the highest school dropout rates in the European Union. The main causes include poverty, lack of family resources and the absence of educational support services in the community. Non-governmental organizations such as the Adina Foundation intervene exactly where the public system does not reach or cope, through long-term, personalized programs anchored in the real needs of the community.
Early intervention is proven to be the most effective way to prevent school dropout and build long-term resilience. Every year a child stays in the program is a year they don’t fall out of the system.
The Adina Foundation doesn’t just provide resources, it offers continuous presence, companionship and relationship. Exactly what vulnerable children and families need to discover their own potential and transform it into a real future.
Poverty does not have to be a destiny: what the Adina Foundation is doing in Dolj County
The Adina Foundation is a non-governmental organization (NGO) from Dolj County, Romania, founded with the mission of providing vulnerable children and families with the chance for education and a dignified life. The foundation operates social assistance, afterschool, educational support and community inclusion programs, intervening early in cases at risk of school dropout and social exclusion.
At the Adina Foundation, we start from a simple but essential principle: education is the only sustainable path out of poverty. That is why our services do not stop at the immediate needs of the child, they accompany the family in the long term, building its capacity to support itself independently.
We have 7 active programs at the Adina Foundation:
- The Home-Start program, part of the Home Start Worldwide network, provides support to vulnerable families through carefully selected volunteers, trained and monitored by a professional.
- The Open Kindergarten program offers specific activities that place great emphasis on each child’s need to be seen, listened to and appreciated, through the active involvement of parents and, at the same time, on creating a climate of dialogue between child and parent.
- The Afterschool program offers educational and recreational afterschool activities to children from disadvantaged families, students in grades I-IV.
- The Adina Home program offers activities dedicated to children from disadvantaged families, students in grades V-VIII.
- The Educational Program supports vulnerable children and youth from Dolj County who continue their studies after graduating from the 8th grade, including through alternative programs for skills development.
- The V13 program offers activities to young people aged 13-24, aimed at increasing their risk-taking capacity, to face life’s challenges, to increase their social skills and motivation for school.
- The Empo program supports the increase in the active participation of women over the age of 16, providing occupational training and activities aimed at empowering and developing the attitudes and skills necessary as parents and active members of the community.
How you can contribute to the future of a child from Dolj County
Beyond Ana Maria’s story, there are hundreds of children in Dolj County who are fighting today for their right to education and a dignified life. Everyone has potential. Everyone needs constant support to be able to capitalize on that potential.
You can make a difference with a simple gesture:
📱 Send COMMUNITY to 8864 to donate 4 euros monthly. It takes 10 seconds.
🤝 Become a volunteer at the Adina Foundation and contribute directly to educational programs.
📢 Donate through our website options here. There are hundreds of children like Ana Maria who have not yet reached us. A donation helps us find them and stay with them.
Together, we can transform the potential into the future for every child who steps through the door of the Adina Foundation.
