Andreea is 11 years old and a student in the 4th grade. She lives with her mother and her younger sister in a rented apartment, comfort 2. It is only the three of them. The mother separated from the abusive father, but without divorcing. Since then, even though they faced difficulties, the mother and the girls have been living in harmony. The family’s income is modest. To meet the daily expenses, the mother works two jobs and runs from one job to the other. In the mornings, she is a nurse at a kindergarten, and in the afternoons, she takes care of the elderly in a dedicated care center.
In order to support her mother, Andreea understood very quickly that she needed to study as well as possible. Therefore, she sees school as her own job, which she takes very seriously. Her attitude inspired her younger sister as well, who is now in the preparatory class.
Andreea is a delicate, sensitive, talented, responsible girl with big dreams. She has very good grades in school; she is conscientious and always wants to improve herself, working extra if there is something she did not understand very well. – Andrea’s teacher tells us.
To come to the family’s aid, Andrea’s teacher recommended her mother to contact the United Way educational center. Here both sisters receive a warm meal, as well as educational support, to keep up with their schoolwork. In addition, very importantly, the girls receive psychological support to overcome the abuses they have suffered and witnessed. Moreover, besides the educational help, at the center, Andreea has the opportunity to try various types of activities and thus discover new interests. She plays sports, attends art classes, dance, history and biology workshops.
One thing you rarely see in children from disadvantaged backgrounds is the determination and focus not to neglect school obligations. Andrea’s dream is to become a judge and she knows that this requires a lot of work – the coordinator of the United Way educational center told us.
The girls were not the only ones to receive help at the center, but also the mother. She received counseling from the social worker who helped her to contact a lawyer.
In this way, the mother started the divorce process and establishment of custody of the girls. The divorce was finalized recently and the mother obtained full custody of the children. Now they no longer live in fear that at any moment the abusive father could return and their nightmare would start all over again.
Andreea is an ambitious little girl and we know that if she has the necessary support she will be able to study in order to become a judge.
We thank you that, through your donations and constant involvement as Tocqueville Society members, you watch to the fulfillment of our children’s biggest dream, the one of becoming adults.
