In Romania, with the help of the Order of Malta, a Roma center has been successfully established, providing access to professional care for an additional 100 children.

Păuleasca is a small village nestled in a mountain valley in the southern Carpathians, near the industrial city of Pitești. Why is this significant? “We have been supporting Roma children from Păuleasca for many years,” explains Anca Simu, who works for the Order of Malta under the Roma projects led by Dr. Franz Salm-Reifferscheidt, Special Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta for the Roma. “However, we first became aware of them in Austria, in the city of Salzburg. We noticed that many of the beggars there were from Păuleasca. They had regularly organized trips together.”

To help the families in their hometown, social centers for young mothers and their children were set up with the help of generous donations. Anca Simu oversees seven such centers, with an eighth already in the planning stages.

The new center is located on a large plot of land with plenty of space for children to play and for growing vegetables and fruit. Here, more than 100 children can receive care. “Recently, a mother came to me and thanked us for the loving care of her children. Now she no longer needs to travel to Salzburg to beg,” says a staff member of the center.

This is a powerful example of successful aid and service to others.