orphan life in Arad

December 6, 2003

I readopted my son in US after previous family disrupted original Romanian adoption. My son has RAD and ODD. I need information on what the orphanages are like in Arad. He has created a vivid fantasy of returning to Romania. I need facts.

Do Children in Romanian orphanages attend school? If so, even kids with Gypsy heritage? What would happen if a child refused?

Are they even offered educational opportunities? What happens to the children, espcially those of gypsy heritage who are not adopted? At what age does the orphanage stop being responsible for them/ Where do they go?

This information is strictly needed to aid in his therapy and help unstick him so he can move forward and have a chance to be happy.

Jeanne21

December 7, 2003

I have worked in an orphanage in Bulgaria, and can tell you what I have learned about the treatment of Gypsies throughout Eastern Europe:

-Most Gypsies are unemployed, in some areas as high as 100% unemployment. Gypsy communities tend to be extremely poor, with high rates of alcoholism. Many, if not most, Gypsy men and women end up in prison at one time or another (mostly for theft - which is one of their only means of survival).

-Many Gypsy children are taken to orphanages by the State, often because their parents are extremely poor. These children will mostly stay in the orphanage until they "age out" (16 to 18 years old, depending on the orphanage and the country).

-Upon leaving the orphanage, most Gypsy children are not given a chance to continue schooling (which is mandatory in the orphanage). These children often end up on the street, stealing and on drugs. There are not many options for these children. Sometimes, they will return to families which they had been taken from.

-Gypsies throughout Eastern Europe are scorned. Often, they are segregated from the white population, with their own schools and communities. Many areas still have white restaurants, bathrooms, etc. where Gypsies are not allowed to enter.