Here's the official charity Trustees' report for the year 2003/2004

The trustees report is written for our auditors and goes into the accounts. This gave the most up to date information on our activities at that time.

THE RELIEF FUND FOR ROMANIA LTD

REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2004

The members of the trustees, who are the trustee directors of the Relief Fund for Romania Limited present their report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31st March 2004.

REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES APRIL 2003 – MARCH 2004

Regional community projects

The independent projects we funded

SPECIFIC OUTCOMES 2003 – 2004

REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES APRIL 2003 – MARCH 2004

During 2003/2004, we continued to develop our work with the most disadvantaged in Romania.

We maintained our focus on enabling the Romanian NGO sector to develop effective programmes of social support that can be contracted by the state. In a country where few services are established and in a climate of institution closure, we saw this as vitally important for Romania’s future.

On a national level, we operated projects with:

The Romanian National TB Programme – doctor training and data collection to improve cure rates

The Marie-Curie Sklodowska Children’s Hospital, Bucharest - nursing standards and infection control

The Estuar Foundation for Mental Health – administrative support and a Day Centre canteen project

Regional community projects were funded through our main partner organisation:

Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar (Community Support Foundation), Bacau: (FSC)

- Home Care of the Elderly sick and infirm

- Mobile Health Care to Disadvantaged Rural Areas

- Street Children’s Rescue, Refuge and Rehabilitation

- IMPART – Arts Therapy for the Disabled for children and adults in institutions and the community

- Emergency grants and social support for the very poor

- Citizen’s Advice Bureau – part of a national network (part funded by EU Phare
programme)

- Mobile Pharmacy to isolated rural areas ( part funded by EU Phare programme)

- Arts and community reintegration therapist for adult long-stay psychiatric hospital

The independent projects we funded were

The Daniel Day Centre, Bacau – physical rehabilitation and support for disabled children, adolescents and their families, preventing abandonment to institutions.

Therapy Through Art, Timisoara – remedial rehabilitation for special needs children and children suffering from cancer.

FAST Brasov: a dynamic young Romanian organisation helping the marginalised poor and the young with community and educational projects in the region of Brasov.

Funding and Grants:

We secured £13,850 in funding from UK Grant Making Trust appeals. Though Romania remains in urgent need of support to develop social services to the most marginalised, it becomes increasingly difficult to attract the necessary funding.

SOME SPECIFIC OUTCOMES 2003 – 2004

- We set up a National Network and database of over 500 organisations and individuals involved in the creative arts for children and adults with special needs and physical disability. We distributed a new magazine/newsletter called IMPREUNA (meaning “Together”) to the network in November 2003 and April 2004.

- Our capital expenditure in Romania 2003-2004 included new furniture for our street children’s refuge, Casa Pistruiatul, £7,143 for a new medical dispensary in an isolated village community at Huruiesti (this included a £2000 grant from the Gemini Foundation) a vehicle for the charity FAST to enable them to work in outlying Roma communities, 10 bicycles for rural care workers, winter fuel grants for the elderly poor and educational grants in the form of university fees for Romanian staff.

- We also funded £4,500 for new computers for the National TB programme vital data collection service and a computer for Adrian T. a talented man with severe cerebral palsy in an adult long-stay hospital. Adrian has since contributed regularly to our newsletter, IMPREUNA, and published plays and other material for his hospital’s drama group and radio network. We are thus enabling those who have been shut away from the outside world to have a voice and representation in the wider community.

- The Home Care of the Elderly project expanded to a further new region increasing the beneficiary numbers to over 300 infirm or terminally ill old people who would otherwise receive no care or attention.

- We conducted a health and social provision study of a poor rural region of SE Bacau, population 27,000

- Our main partner organisation, Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar, were awarded 3 national awards for “Best Practice” in children’s services and for “Outstanding Work in Strategic Planning”.

- Our IMPART team who train others in arts therapies for special needs people were formally accredited as trainers by the Open College Network UK. They are negotiating with Romanian government officials for an accredited training programme for carers in Romania.

- All state institutions in Bacau county have now been trained by the IMPART team and 5 institutions have introduced their own therapeutic arts teams.

- We have lobbied within Europe on the lack of social services to support families and children affected by the current institution closure programme.

In 2003 / 2004, our projects served over 4,000 beneficiaries directly, an increase of over 25% on 2002 / 2003.

All of our beneficiaries are among the most marginalised children, sick and elderly in Romania. Our training programmes in elderly care, tuberculosis treatment and the creative arts continue to reach a larger national audience.