The Unclaimed
In 1990, with the fall of communism in Romania and the end of the Ceausescu regime, thousands of children were discovered warehoused in state run orphanages. Images of children crowded in unsanitary conditions, with little attention given to their basic needs, were revealed to the world.
In the early 1990s, there were approximately 170,000 children living in these state run facilities. Over the years this number has decreased significantly and some steps have been taken to improve the care of these unclaimed children. The development of a foster care system in Romania, the creation of smaller group homes, and assistance from the international community has made a difference, though there is still much work to be done.
In the Fall of 1998, I had the opportunity to spend a week in the infant/toddler ward of an orphanage in Romania. The children were bathed, clothed, and fed, although their caregivers did little beyond providing these basic necessities. The children spent much of the day in their cribs, except for occasional visits to a playroom created and staffed by an outside philanthropic organization.
When asked what he did while in a Romanian orphanage, a child who had been recently adopted responded “ … Wait”.
There are many children still waiting.