E346021       UK      |    Romania    |   Hong Kong   + 44 ( 0 ) 1256 461894 Copyright EC Electronics Limited 2010 News December 2010 Romanian Orphanages In 1990 the world was stunned by what was revealed about conditions in Romanian orphanages. The pictures of starving, freezing unloved children had a huge impact. Not all the children in the orphanages were actual orphans. Many had been abandoned by desperately poor families who had been forced to have more children than necessary as part of Ceausescu's insane population building policy. In November 2001, the European Commission, in its report on Romania's progress towards accession, reported that some 130,000 children were in need of special protection, with circa 80,000 already living in residential care. While conditions have improved since then, the practice of abandoning children continues. Many Romanians cannot afford birth control and cannot care for their children. For them, leaving a newborn at an orphanage is a solution. Apart from disability, illness or abuse, the psychological damage suffered in this type of institution is deep-rooted and more difficult to address than physical effects. Many orphans are far from recovering psychologically. This lack of human contact, colour, variety, stimulation, understanding and concern almost always leads to developmental delay. Is there improvement? - Yes, but it is not immediate and not for all. The pace is slow. Some policies that led to this situation have been totally eliminated (such as the forced population policy and lack of contraception) which led to the abandonment of children through poverty. Other factors - like lack of training for care givers and attitudes to disability and the present poverty produced by the transition to a market economy - are now on the government's agenda as well as serious reform at the heart of child care in Romania. EC Staff effort to help EC's factory in Petrosani, Romania, is located a short distance from one of the country's largest orphanages. Our Romanian factory staff are extremely aware of the issues covered above, and are determined to do what they can to help. They feel the best input is to donate practical help directly via the staff running the orphanage, thus avoiding the potential for institutional corruption along the way. This help is takes the form of clothes, toys and money, which via this direct route, has an immediate positive effect on the children's well being. EC's staff in the UK also donate clothes and toys on a regular basis. We deliver these items via the regularly scheduled transport between our UK and Romanian factories. If you feel you would like to donate unwanted clothes and toys, please contact Tony Mount, Group Operations Director, on 01256 461894. Thank you. To obtain a quotation for the manufacture of your products please click here Home I About Us I Industries I Services I News I Careers I How to find us I Contact Us I Privacy Statement I