Young Roma mother breaks cycle of abandonment
Mihaela is Roma, one of the most marginalized minority groups in Eastern Europe. Although life has played many tricks on her, Mihaela has never lost her faith in God, and she is learning to have more confidence in herself.
Mihaela has never met her mother. She and her younger brother grew up in an orphanage in Bucharest.
“I was 19 when I left the orphanage. I lived there as long as I can remember. My brother is the only family I have. I never knew my mother and I don’t want to. I don’t have a mother. She doesn’t exist for me,” says Mihaela still bearing the wounds of abandonment.
“I look at Raul and I see how much he needs me. How could anyone abandon an innocent soul?” she continues.
When she was 19 years old, Mihaela met Firica, who also grew up in an orphanage. They fell in love, and Mihaela left the orphanage and moved in with Firica. For four years they lived in the basement of a block of flats the size of a double bed.
One day, Mihaela woke up with severe back pain. When she went to the doctor, she was told that she was five months pregnant. The news came as a shock to her, as she regularly menstruated all those months of pregnancy. Abandoning her baby was not an option for her.
The same way that I want to eat and to live, I want to be with Raul. I couldn’t even imagine leaving my son
“The same way that I want to eat and to live, I want to be with Raul. I couldn’t even imagine leaving my son. I know what it’s like to grow up without a mother,” says Mihaela.
But Firica didn’t feel the same way. He said he wasn’t ready to be a father, and when he saw how determined Mihaela was to keep her child, he left her.
“I thought an abandoned child would know better, but I guess men are different. Anyway, being abandoned was the story of my life,” says Mihaela. “It was only when I found World Vision that I learnt that there are people willing to help, to reach out to a perfect stranger."
Mihaela’s biggest concern was where she was going to live once the baby was born. She knew that the damp basement wasn’t an option, as it was very dirty and unfit for a newborn child. She was afraid that the baby could get ill and even die if she brought him there. Unemployed and without a family to help her, she struggled for a solution.
When it was time for her to give birth, she went to the hospital for what she recalls was a relatively easy birth. While she was still in the hospital, recovering, she overheard a conversation between another woman who had just given birth to a child and a hospital employee, who told the new mother she could stay at an NGO. When Mihaela was strong enough to walk on her own, she went to look for the hospital staff and learnt about World Vision. Two weeks later she received a room in World Vision’s Maternal Center.
Mihaela says she can’t imagine what would have happened to her and Raul if it weren’t for World Vision. “All I know is that the day I went to the hospital, I was sure that somehow God would find a solution for me. World Vision appeared in my life when I needed help the most. Only God made this possible, I’m sure!”
All I know is that the day I went to the hospital, I was sure that somehow God would find a solution for me. World Vision appeared in my life when I needed help the most.
According to Mihaela, her life changed radically ever since World Vision became part of it. Most importantly, her precious Raul started his life with a decent roof over his head. Asked what else World Vision has done for her and her son, Mihaela answers before she has time to blink, “So many things! So many that I could fill a notebook listing them all!”
With the help of World Vision, Mihaela found a job as a gardener. Thanks to World Vision’s Day Care Center, she was able to leave Raul in good hands while she went to work.
After eight months of staying in the Maternal Center, Mihaela decided she was ready to take her life into her own hands. She looked for a place to rent and found a room in Prelungirea Ghencea. The room has only a bed, a wardrobe, a refrigerator and an icon. In the hallway there’s a stove for cooking. The roof needs to be repaired and the walls could use some fresh paint.
“I know it’s not much, but it’s nice, isn’t it?” she asks rhetorically. “I lived in places much worse than this! At least I know my son is safe here.”
Mihaela says she is pleased with her life. She knows that financially there are a lot of things missing, but she is sure that as long as she is healthy and she has the power to work, things will turn out right in the end.
Mihaela is very happy with her job. “I like my job because I love flowers. The salary is small, 440 lei (approximately US $175), but I somehow manage to cover all the expenses.”
When she moved out of the Maternal Center into the Fifth district, Mihaela also had to move Raul to another Day Care Center. World Vision covered the cost of Raul’s day care for the first three months.
More than half of the abandoned children in medical institutions in Romania - 57% - are Roma
Her biggest dream is to have a place of her own, with a garden full of flowers. “This way, I will know that no matter what happens to me, my son has a roof over his head,” says Mihaela.
“I’m sure things will turn out right for Mihaela. She is a good girl and she works very hard to give Raul a decent life. All she needed to keep Raul was some support and encouragement to give her the confidence that she can do it. Cases like this one tell us that our time and the donors’ money are well spent,” declares Mariana Arnautu, Coordinator of World Vision’sChildren of Romania project.
Note: More than half of the abandoned children in medical institutions in Romania - 57% - are Roma children reads UNICEF Report "Excluded and Invisible” from 2006.
Mihaela has never met her mother. She and her younger brother grew up in an orphanage in Bucharest.
“I was 19 when I left the orphanage. I lived there as long as I can remember. My brother is the only family I have. I never knew my mother and I don’t want to. I don’t have a mother. She doesn’t exist for me,” says Mihaela still bearing the wounds of abandonment.
“I look at Raul and I see how much he needs me. How could anyone abandon an innocent soul?” she continues.
When she was 19 years old, Mihaela met Firica, who also grew up in an orphanage. They fell in love, and Mihaela left the orphanage and moved in with Firica. For four years they lived in the basement of a block of flats the size of a double bed.
One day, Mihaela woke up with severe back pain. When she went to the doctor, she was told that she was five months pregnant. The news came as a shock to her, as she regularly menstruated all those months of pregnancy. Abandoning her baby was not an option for her.
The same way that I want to eat and to live, I want to be with Raul. I couldn’t even imagine leaving my son
“The same way that I want to eat and to live, I want to be with Raul. I couldn’t even imagine leaving my son. I know what it’s like to grow up without a mother,” says Mihaela.
But Firica didn’t feel the same way. He said he wasn’t ready to be a father, and when he saw how determined Mihaela was to keep her child, he left her.
“I thought an abandoned child would know better, but I guess men are different. Anyway, being abandoned was the story of my life,” says Mihaela. “It was only when I found World Vision that I learnt that there are people willing to help, to reach out to a perfect stranger."
Mihaela’s biggest concern was where she was going to live once the baby was born. She knew that the damp basement wasn’t an option, as it was very dirty and unfit for a newborn child. She was afraid that the baby could get ill and even die if she brought him there. Unemployed and without a family to help her, she struggled for a solution.
When it was time for her to give birth, she went to the hospital for what she recalls was a relatively easy birth. While she was still in the hospital, recovering, she overheard a conversation between another woman who had just given birth to a child and a hospital employee, who told the new mother she could stay at an NGO. When Mihaela was strong enough to walk on her own, she went to look for the hospital staff and learnt about World Vision. Two weeks later she received a room in World Vision’s Maternal Center.
Mihaela says she can’t imagine what would have happened to her and Raul if it weren’t for World Vision. “All I know is that the day I went to the hospital, I was sure that somehow God would find a solution for me. World Vision appeared in my life when I needed help the most. Only God made this possible, I’m sure!”
All I know is that the day I went to the hospital, I was sure that somehow God would find a solution for me. World Vision appeared in my life when I needed help the most.
According to Mihaela, her life changed radically ever since World Vision became part of it. Most importantly, her precious Raul started his life with a decent roof over his head. Asked what else World Vision has done for her and her son, Mihaela answers before she has time to blink, “So many things! So many that I could fill a notebook listing them all!”
With the help of World Vision, Mihaela found a job as a gardener. Thanks to World Vision’s Day Care Center, she was able to leave Raul in good hands while she went to work.
After eight months of staying in the Maternal Center, Mihaela decided she was ready to take her life into her own hands. She looked for a place to rent and found a room in Prelungirea Ghencea. The room has only a bed, a wardrobe, a refrigerator and an icon. In the hallway there’s a stove for cooking. The roof needs to be repaired and the walls could use some fresh paint.
“I know it’s not much, but it’s nice, isn’t it?” she asks rhetorically. “I lived in places much worse than this! At least I know my son is safe here.”
Mihaela says she is pleased with her life. She knows that financially there are a lot of things missing, but she is sure that as long as she is healthy and she has the power to work, things will turn out right in the end.
Mihaela is very happy with her job. “I like my job because I love flowers. The salary is small, 440 lei (approximately US $175), but I somehow manage to cover all the expenses.”
When she moved out of the Maternal Center into the Fifth district, Mihaela also had to move Raul to another Day Care Center. World Vision covered the cost of Raul’s day care for the first three months.
More than half of the abandoned children in medical institutions in Romania - 57% - are Roma
Her biggest dream is to have a place of her own, with a garden full of flowers. “This way, I will know that no matter what happens to me, my son has a roof over his head,” says Mihaela.
“I’m sure things will turn out right for Mihaela. She is a good girl and she works very hard to give Raul a decent life. All she needed to keep Raul was some support and encouragement to give her the confidence that she can do it. Cases like this one tell us that our time and the donors’ money are well spent,” declares Mariana Arnautu, Coordinator of World Vision’sChildren of Romania project.
Note: More than half of the abandoned children in medical institutions in Romania - 57% - are Roma children reads UNICEF Report "Excluded and Invisible” from 2006.
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