Hemeiusi is a small town in Moldavia, in the northeast of the country. Moldavia is one of Romania’s poorest regions with lots of social difficulties. The local kindergarten and schools are insufficient and in poor condition. A public university and several colleges can be found in Bacau, about twelve kilometres away. The SOS Children’s Village is situated on an L-shaped, 2.5 hectares plot of land on the outskirts of town. SOS Children’s Village Hemeius was initially founded by a Dutch children charity organisation and was taken over by SOS Children’s Villages Romania in 2006.
SOS Children's Village Hemeius comprises four family houses with a capacity to take in up to 24 children, and an administrative building. In order to make the existing infrastructure fit for use as an SOS Children’s Village, renovation and conversion of existing buildings became necessary. The creation of apartments for SOS aunts (who support the SOS mothers and take care of the children when the mothers are on leave) and accommodation for the village director, as well as a multipurpose room and workshops are currently underway. A play- and sports ground will also be added.
The family strengthening programme offers access to essential services for children’s development (eg. educational, nutritional and health support, social skills) and supports families to protect and care for their children. The programme also aims at linking families with income generating activities and offers help to improve the parents’ parenting skills.