In 1996 RAKE opened Casa Linda, a home for sixteen children. Linda, a
volunteer paediatric nurse, had been working since early 1992 to improve the
lives of a group of children who were living neglected in terrible conditions in a small
village hospital. When the children were relocated to one of the large institutions
for the handicapped Linda was unable to provide the same level of care, so RAKE set
out to build Casa Linda.
The youngsters are not unscarred from their earlier experiences and all have severe
learning difficulties. Casa Linda provides a home where their holistic and
educational needs are being met. They have structured activities
during the day and three children attend a local school. They enjoy visits to the local
shops, restaurants and other attractions and have benefitted from holidays to the seaside and
mountains,experiences unknown to them in their early lives.
Staffed entirely by Romanians, Casa Linda is very much a joint venture. The
Romanian authorities fund half the staffing costs and provide food . RAKE funds additional
staff and covers bills and maintenance costs plus additional activities such as trips,
staff training, clothing, household items and any medical costs.
We also fund Helen, a British special needs teacher, to oversee the running of Casa Linda.
She trains the staff and co-ordinates the overall management of the home.
Her years of training and experience of working with special needs children in the UK
have provided a new insight for many Romanians and this has proved to be invaluable to the
well-being of the children.
Eleven years on and the project has proved to be a great success. The children are now teenagers,
and although it is clear that some will always need full time care and attention others,
we hope, will be able to live semi independent lives and are now learning life skills to
enable them to do this.
If you would like to contribute to the running costs of Casa Linda please go to our
ON-Line donation page or for more information please do not hesitate to
Contact Us.
