A view of Brasov, Romania from the tram

As a former volunteer in Romania, the country has always had a special place in my heart and I have followed it closely since then. Consequently, it was a momentous occasion when Romania joined the EU earlier this year so I have asked our Country Director, Mircea, to comment on this and how it will affect Romania’s future and our volunteer’s fine work there.

With mixed feelings on the part of the populace and huge official parties in the central squares of the country’s biggest cities, Romania joined the European Union on the 1st of January 2007. Some of us Romanians expect things to get better financially, some to lose some of our freedoms. The general consensus though is that it’s a step ahead for our country. We don’t need visas for Europe now, the legislation pertaining to certain business ventures is more relaxed, there will certainly be a lot more foreign money coming into the country. This is not to say everything is now peachy, and Romanians are a rich, happy nation, with nothing left to learn. Personally, I think this is where the hard work starts. Joining the EU has placed responsibilities on Romania’s shoulders. We need to sort out the Gypsy integration problem, the still rampant corruption, education reforms etc.

Romania still needs help, in expertise, material and in terms of manpower, and therefore, we at Projects Abroad, still need volunteers. Archaeologists who receive our volunteers on digging sites love working side by side with Western young people who have a passion for this field instead of hiring workers who do not care about valuable artefacts. Although the orphanage system has been reformed and the children do not live in horrible overcrowding conditions anymore, the local staff still does not have enough time to give all the attention they deserve. So our volunteers provide a relief to the staff members and engage the children in educational and fun activities through games, excursions and participation in the daily chores. The Brasov Visitor is still the only publication in English in Brasov, and in a country where the true importance of ecological conservation has just started to become understood, there is plenty for volunteers to do. As for Teaching, there will always be a need for native speakers to help our local teachers. And in Roma (Gypsy) communities, our volunteers might actually be the perfect incentive to attract children to school, and through alternative, fun ways of teaching, to make them enjoy their classes.