Improved school attendance & performance gives hope to impoverished community
Just three years ago, the health and the future of children from Viisoara village were in jeopardy because of the deep poverty, parents’ lack of education and lack of understanding about the importance of education. Children’s medical records showed that many of them manifested a physical development delay, suffering from anemia, dystrophy and rickets, due to a lack of vitamin D and calcium.
The school drop out rate was also alarming, partly because parents would claim that they could not afford to give their children a sandwich for school and opted to keep them at home to work in the field.
Children learn better now, the number of failed examinations has decreased very much The school’s social canteen run by the Saint Gheorghe church used to provide hot meals to students but was closed because it didn’t comply with the new European food hygiene standards.
Some 53 children from the 100 children enrolled in World Vision’s “Feeding the children from Viisoara village” project had failed their school examinations in June 2007. One of them reached the fourth grade or higher without knowing how to read, write or do basic maths.
In June 2008; one year after the project began, just nine children failed the examinations. All went onto higher grades in September. In May 2009, just seven children failed the examinations.
“The students’ school performances are visible. Children learn better now, the number of failed examinations has decreased very much”, said Gigi Grasu, principle of the Viisoara school.
“This year, we didn’t have any failure in the Romanian language subject matter, which is a success. This project fed not just the physical aspect of the children but also the spiritual and intellectual”, said Camelia Banciu, one of the school teachers.
“Supported by World Vision through this project, children with disabilities from my class won the third prize in the national contest ‘Peinture, pencil’s play’. I am sad the project is over, but I have good memories”, she added.
An eighth grade student named Gigi that participated in the project has passed two exams to enter the prestigious Military Highschool. The entire village is behind him, hoping that he will succeed.
Gigi is deeply thankful for the help he received from World Vision: “This project helped me very much. I was not good at Maths and Romanian language. My marks were 7 and 8. In the eighth grade, I got 9s and 10s. World Vision teachers explained to us everything that we couldn’t understand at school. Also, I received through World Vision a four-year scholarship”, he said.
Students like Gigi also attended special trips and ceremonies and a summer camp on the Black Sea, where most saw the sea for the first time.
The daily hot meal cooked with fresh vegetables and meat at the re-opened “St. Gheorghe” social canteen contributed to children’s improved health and energy, as well as the excellent attendance at school and the extra-curricular activities organised by World Vision.
“I was relaxed and peaceful that my children had eaten at the canteen, but more important for me was to learn better and go on to highschool”, said Doinita, a mother of four children who benefitted from the project.
Parents across the community have also been impacted. Those who used to keep their children at home to work now encourage them to go to school and even dream to send them to a highschool in Constanta town. They acknowledge their children’s school progress, as well as a change in their own attitudes.
I was relaxed and peaceful that my children had eaten at the canteen, but more important for me was to learn better and go on to highschool “My son, a student in the fifth grade, is learning much better now. The project helped him not just with food, but also changed him in a spiritual way. He became deeply attached to church and wants to become a priest”, said Vasilica Roman, a mother from Viisoara.
“The project changed us too. We came to the meetings organised through the project and had the opportunity to know each other better and to be more involved in our children’s activities, to monitor their progress”, said Daniela Burlacu, a mother of two children who benefited from the project.
“The partnerships between Cobadin city-hall and World Vision are a real success. This project could be replicated in other villages because it is getting results”, said Ion Dinescu, the Cobadin vice-magistrate, who also said that the city-hall has budgeted to help the social canteen during the next school year.
Danut Costan, the priest who opened the social canteen in the village regrets that World Vision’s project has come to an end but said optimistically,” We will weigh anchor in the autumn, but it will be more difficult without World Vision’s financial support. Crisis or not, we will go on with God’s help”.
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The school drop out rate was also alarming, partly because parents would claim that they could not afford to give their children a sandwich for school and opted to keep them at home to work in the field.
Children learn better now, the number of failed examinations has decreased very much The school’s social canteen run by the Saint Gheorghe church used to provide hot meals to students but was closed because it didn’t comply with the new European food hygiene standards.
Some 53 children from the 100 children enrolled in World Vision’s “Feeding the children from Viisoara village” project had failed their school examinations in June 2007. One of them reached the fourth grade or higher without knowing how to read, write or do basic maths.
In June 2008; one year after the project began, just nine children failed the examinations. All went onto higher grades in September. In May 2009, just seven children failed the examinations.
“The students’ school performances are visible. Children learn better now, the number of failed examinations has decreased very much”, said Gigi Grasu, principle of the Viisoara school.
“This year, we didn’t have any failure in the Romanian language subject matter, which is a success. This project fed not just the physical aspect of the children but also the spiritual and intellectual”, said Camelia Banciu, one of the school teachers.
“Supported by World Vision through this project, children with disabilities from my class won the third prize in the national contest ‘Peinture, pencil’s play’. I am sad the project is over, but I have good memories”, she added.
An eighth grade student named Gigi that participated in the project has passed two exams to enter the prestigious Military Highschool. The entire village is behind him, hoping that he will succeed.
Gigi is deeply thankful for the help he received from World Vision: “This project helped me very much. I was not good at Maths and Romanian language. My marks were 7 and 8. In the eighth grade, I got 9s and 10s. World Vision teachers explained to us everything that we couldn’t understand at school. Also, I received through World Vision a four-year scholarship”, he said.
Students like Gigi also attended special trips and ceremonies and a summer camp on the Black Sea, where most saw the sea for the first time.
The daily hot meal cooked with fresh vegetables and meat at the re-opened “St. Gheorghe” social canteen contributed to children’s improved health and energy, as well as the excellent attendance at school and the extra-curricular activities organised by World Vision.
“I was relaxed and peaceful that my children had eaten at the canteen, but more important for me was to learn better and go on to highschool”, said Doinita, a mother of four children who benefitted from the project.
Parents across the community have also been impacted. Those who used to keep their children at home to work now encourage them to go to school and even dream to send them to a highschool in Constanta town. They acknowledge their children’s school progress, as well as a change in their own attitudes.
I was relaxed and peaceful that my children had eaten at the canteen, but more important for me was to learn better and go on to highschool “My son, a student in the fifth grade, is learning much better now. The project helped him not just with food, but also changed him in a spiritual way. He became deeply attached to church and wants to become a priest”, said Vasilica Roman, a mother from Viisoara.
“The project changed us too. We came to the meetings organised through the project and had the opportunity to know each other better and to be more involved in our children’s activities, to monitor their progress”, said Daniela Burlacu, a mother of two children who benefited from the project.
“The partnerships between Cobadin city-hall and World Vision are a real success. This project could be replicated in other villages because it is getting results”, said Ion Dinescu, the Cobadin vice-magistrate, who also said that the city-hall has budgeted to help the social canteen during the next school year.
Danut Costan, the priest who opened the social canteen in the village regrets that World Vision’s project has come to an end but said optimistically,” We will weigh anchor in the autumn, but it will be more difficult without World Vision’s financial support. Crisis or not, we will go on with God’s help”.
-Ends-
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