On November 26, 2024, ADRA Romania organized an event dedicated to the theme "Interinstitutional Anniversary Dialogue". Held at the RIN Central Hotel, the event took place as part of the global campaign "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence", an approach that aims to draw attention to the need to combat this phenomenon. The meeting was attended by numerous representatives of partner organizations who shared valuable experiences, highlighting both significant achievements and challenges encountered during their efforts. The dialogue focused on identifying effective solutions, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and solidarity in creating a safer future for all.
Present at the event, Robert Georgescu, executive director of ADRA Romania, said: "Today, in a special event organized for ADRA House, we are marking, with responsibility, 15 years of ADRA Romania’s uninterrupted activity in the fight against domestic violence. Along this path, more than 3,710 victims of domestic violence have found a safe haven, emotional support, and a chance for a new beginning at ADRA House. Today's event brings together representatives of partner organizations, authorities, and dedicated supporters who, together with the ADRA team, have contributed to building a better future for assisted persons, mothers, and children,” continued Georgescu. “Through solidarity and collaboration, we have made remarkable progress in raising awareness, providing support services, and initiating real change in the community. Today, we celebrate not only 15 years of ADRA House activity, but also 15 years of hope offered to those who needed support. The progress achieved in this fight is the fruit of continuous collaboration, and the event is a tribute to all those involved in this mission,” concluded Georgescu.
"At the level of the capital’s City Hall, through the General Directorate of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest, we try to offer a complete set of services for victims of domestic violence, whether we are talking about information campaigns, hosting services in an emergency regime, and—in the medium and long term—sheltered housing, centers for domestic abusers, and an information and counseling center for victims of domestic violence,” said Cosmina Ioana Simiean Nicolescu, director general of the General Directorate of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest. “Of course, in this landscape, private services—such as those offered by ADRA Romania through ADRA House—are essential to ensure a fair geographical distribution and better collaboration between the public and private environment,” concluded Nicolescu.
"Thank you for the invitation to ADRA’s event, I congratulate you on your work and I wish you a happy birthday! It is an honor to be with you today to discuss an important topic: preventing and combating domestic violence, as part of the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence,” said Maria Ulican, head of service, Directorate for the Prevention and Combating of Domestic Violence, ANES.
"We came to congratulate the representatives of ADRA Romania, who are here with the management of the organization, because the partnership between public institutions and NGOs is the key to a society where the victim is protected,” said Aurelian Bocan, chief commissioner, General Directorate of Police of the Municipality of Bucharest.
"The fundamental value of the education of children and young women is essential,” said Georgel Pîrlitu, executive secretary of the Conference Union of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Romania and first vice-president of ADRA Romania. “What ADRA House does is perhaps only a drop in the ocean of social problems, but it is a drop that counts. We are glad that we can contribute to a better world, even in our small ways,” concluded Pirlitu.
More about ADRA House
Since 2009, ADRA Romania has managed the "Emergency Reception Center for Victims of Family Violence - ADRA House". The objective of this project is the social reintegration of victims of domestic violence through shelter, social counseling, psychological counseling, emergency medical assistance, food, and guidance by a lawyer. The lives of the beneficiaries housed in the center have been changed because they have known a different way of living: without physical, verbal, economic, mental, sexual, and religious violence, based on spiritual values and cultivating healthy habits in food, physical exercise, training, and recreation.
More about ADRA Romania
Since 1990, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency - ADRA Romania -has been particularly involved in development projects that benefit the entire population. Conducting itself in the projects undertaken according to the motto "Justice. Compassion. Love.", ADRA Romania brings joy and hope to the lives of the beneficiaries by promoting a better future, values, and human dignity.
As an accredited social service provider, ADRA Romania is part of ADRA Europe and the ADRA International network, the global humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, one of the most widespread non-governmental organizations in the world. ADRA International is active in 118 countries and its projects are based on the philosophy that combines compassion with practical spirit, addressing people in need, without making distinctions of racial, ethnic, political, or religious order, with the aim of serving humanity so that all live together as God intended.
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