A Romanian project introduced support measures and services to combat poverty, helping vulnerable people across the country manage the cost of living.
With funding from the European Social Fund (ESF), the "integrated community services" project provides support to more than 100 marginalized communities. The project aims to remedy low levels of education and poor access to social and medical services by providing school counselling, career guidance, community healthcare and social services.

Roman Covaci describes how the project transformed his life: "I can honestly testify that without the help of the integrated services team here, in Lăzareni, I would not have succeeded. With their help I finally got the state allowance for Alex, my nephew, as well as a social grant for him (…) The biggest achievement is that Alex now goes to school regularly, where he receives empathetic support from the teachers.” The project's support proved transformative for Alex as he went from being a withdrawn child to one who "grew up to be very communicative and sociable, keen to spend time with children his own age".

The project provides school counselors and mediators to prevent vulnerable children from dropping out of school. Adrian Covaciu is a school mediator in Lăzăreni. As part of the Roma community, he believes it is essential to encourage his community to receive a quality education.
"Through this project I want to support and change the mindset of my villagers, to make them aware that graduating from school and getting a training certificate is the only way to end the cycle of poverty."

The project also played a major role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social workers from the project assisted in the distribution of leaflets and the monitoring of citizens upon their return from abroad. They ensured that adequate resources were available to the children during the school interruption. They also kept people safe, especially the elderly, by making sure everyone had access to basic medical services.

Thanks to the project, vulnerable Romanians find the support they need to manage a difficult environment, giving them the chance to receive education, essential medical services and avoid isolation and social exclusion. The activities will be expanded with ESF+ support in the next programming period, to meet the needs of another 2000 communities, as part of the European Commission's Social Inclusion and Dignity programme.

Source: Helping Romania's vulnerable through tough times | European Social Fund Plus (europa.eu)