Did you know that many gifted children drop out of school because of shortages? Petruț’s story proves that help offered at the right time can radically change a destiny.
When you are the youngest of eight siblings, you hardly ever have new clothes and shoes. Especially when you were born into a family with limited resources, where only the father has a salary and the mother is medically retired. The money is barely enough for daily living, even if the parents only eat what is left from the children. Even the mother’s skill in adjusting the clothes of the older ones to suit the younger children, fails to cover the needs of the family.
Debts increase, the threat of disconnection from utilities and eviction is pressing and all siblings are at risk of school drop-out, because parents can’t afford school fees and can`t cover the need for homework help. This is how Petruț`s and his older brothers life looked like until they received help from the team of specialists – social workers, psychologists, pedagogues- of the educational center supported by United Way.
The eight children, all students, received a warm meal and snack offered daily at the daycare center, but also homework help. Then they got the clothing, shoes, school supplies they needed. Petruț and his brothers also received support when their mother passed away due to COVID-19, during the pandemic.
Thanks to the center’s specialists, Petruț benefited from emotional support to cope with the loss and to be able to continue studying for the baccalaureate/high school final exam.
Today, Petruț is a student at the University of Bucharest, at the Faculty of Public Administration. He is a conscientious and serious young man who learns to complete his studies and helps his father in the household. In his spare time, he is also a volunteer at the educational center that supported him and his family when they went through difficult times.
