At the beginning there was faith.

Children in Distress was founded with the aid of the Church of England and Archbishops of Canterbury and York. In our country, Children in Distress’ activity commenced back in 1990 and in 2003 the Romanian Children in Distress was established. The partnership with the Romanian Orthodox Church granted the Foundation’s activity and public image and represented an important aid throughout the years.
An undeniable proof is that at the beginning there was faith of the people in building a better future and their intention in offering unconditional help to children in need. Because having faith on our side transforms us into better beings, more forgiving as we pay more attention to our own kind.

A few historical facts.

1990 – A new charitable foundation is born through the Act of Incorporation of the Deed of Trust being registered at the Charity Commission of England and Wales. At first, the naming of the Organization was Romanian Children’s Aid (RCA).
1992 – The charitable activity was extended within the Balkans area from Eastern Europe. The Organization was subsequently registered with the official naming of Children in Distress, which has been used since then.
The legal founder of the Organization Children in Distress is Reverend Dr. John Walmsley. He was supported by the members of the Saint Laurence Parish from Barkingside. The image of Romanian children found in orphanages, abandoned or suffering from HIV/AIDS triggered this entire process of founding a charitable non-profit entity, registered in 2003 under the name of Children in Distress. At the beginning the activities were based on the help of British and Romanian volunteers. At present, all services are fully developed, offering support and counseling for HIV/AIDS children, autistic children, and also love and support for new-born, and in general for all children suffering from a wide range of incurable or terminal affections/illnesses/diseases.

Credentials:

2005 – Children in Distress Foundation became a certified supplier of social services.
2007 – The Foundation is granted the operating permit for Bucharest and Cernavoda Centres.
2008 – Children in Distress Foundation received the official naming of “public service foundation”.

Mission of Care:

To cure, sometimes; To help, often; To comfort, always.

Children in Distress works in order to provide a second chance for children found in need or in a dramatic condition. Our Foundation offers safety, medical care, hope and affection towards all children suffering from incurable or terminal diseases, HIV cases and autistic children or abandoned ones. All of them deserve an equal treatment, notwithstanding race, ethnic principles or religion.

Children in Distress mission is based on:

- offering palliative care and assistance to children with chronic diseases, terminally ill, with disabilities, infected with HIV/AIDS, and towards children prone to early school leaving, and offering much needed help to their families;

- promoting the principle of equal chances and social integration to above mentioned social categories;

- training offered in order to professionally enhance knowledge of specialists in palliative care and recovery techniques.

Our mission is accomplished through a set of services offered according to quality standards stipulated by the law, adapted to community’s needs, accessible, and easily understood by our beneficiaries.  

Facts about palliative care:

Palliative care is one of the oldest forms of medical care, a discipline that focuses on the psychological, emotional and spiritual side, besides the physiological aspects of the treatment, seen as a whole. Palliative care implies: active and total care of patients whose illness no longer responds to treatment; pain and symptoms control, psychological, social and spiritual counseling. The purpose of palliative care is to ensure quality of life and peace of mind to involved patients and their families.  

Palliative care for children covers a broad palette of illnesses and diseases like cancer, congenital malformations, progressive muscular dystrophy, internal organs deficiencies, HIV/AIDS or cystic fibrosis. Treatment covers physical pain relief together with psychological and spiritual comfort, and ensures an improvement of the patient’s life and support offered to the involved family, before and after the passing of the loved ones. Palliative care and medicine exists because there is always a good cause to fight for and a good reason to provide everything for a patient, and each patient matters and is treated just the way you would like to be treated and looked after, given the same condition.  

Foundation’s Resources:

Children in Distress activity is founded through sponsorships and donations realized by the British Foundation. Financing for C.I.D. Romania comes from operational costs – 60%. The rest of 40% is provided by the Romanian state and civil and private society.