Since the fall of the previous, repressive regime in Romania, the plight of children in orphanages has received much coverage in the media, and the present Romanian government, with the help of many overseas voluntary organisations, has made huge strides in developing good child protection and social services. However, it is a massive task, and much remains to be done, especially for children and young people who are not in institutions but who are extremely vulnerable and in need of care.

Vis de Copil (‘A Child’s Dream’) works in the city of Arad (Romania) among street children, young people and children at risk of becoming street children.  The majority of street children do not benefit from the most basic human rights: the right of survival and development, the right to the protection of parents and society, the right to education, the right to happiness and security, the right of protection against physical and psychological violence, mistreatment and abuse and aggression and social exploitation.

Street children are usually characterized by a low level of education, a raised level of legal infractions, dependence on volatile substances, a precarious state of health, having as their main source of existence begging or, especially in the case of girls, prostitution.

“A Child’s Dream” seeks to respond to the material needs of children living partly or fully on the streets, with the aim of assisting children to remain within a family environment and to be integrated into society.  The general objective is to reduce the phenomenon of “street children” in Arad county and to offer a complex of services for children who have inadequate living conditions, promoting and respecting the rights of any child to grow up within a family environment.