Why are there so many children left in Romanian State orphanages and institutions, especially after the execution of the godless communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu almost 16 years ago? Ironically Ceausescu's demise came on Christmas Day 1989, and the first protest that ignited the wildfire of revolution that spread across the entire country started at a Christian church upon the arrest of the pastor. But the answer to the question is multi and complex, a short response is; Just like the problems in Iraq didn't end with the removal of Saddam Hussein, neither did the problems in Romania end with the removal of Nicolae Ceausescu... Ceausescu had a diabolical plan to double the Romanian population in ten years! His program was forcefully and intrusively instituted. "Procreation is the social duty of all fertile women," was the dogma in Ceausescu's Romania; with disastrous effects. At the time of his removal there were hundreds of thousands of children institutionalized; living under horrible conditions. Then came the collapse of the economy after the revolution and conditions grew even worse; children literally rotting in cages and dying in hospitals all in the care of the state! Even today the state pension for a person that worked their whole life can be as little as $60 per month, while many commodities such as gasoline are costing more than in the United States. Further, what had happened during fifty years of communism was a form of institutionalized corruption and mafia that deformed the dignity of the common man. Deformed, disillusioned and defeated at the time of the revolution, many people then embraced the very worst in their new found freedoms. Ideas that would be highly shunned in the "free West" are embraced in Eastern Europe. Things like going to McDonalds restaurant and ordering a beer, or driving and seeing a billboard advertising Coca-Cola using a darkened image of a totally naked woman are the norm. If a minor has the money he or she can buy as much alcohol has they wish. Promiscuity has led to a record number of abortions - the highest in Europe, and a recent study has shown that Romania has 20 times more cases of syphilis than in the rest of Europe! Though many abandoned children were rescued by international adoptions, this has had to be permanently suspended because the trade and trafficking of abandoned children had led to whole sale corruption all across the board. There are numbers of documented cases of people, even parents, offering children for sale to the highest bidders. Some well intentioned non-governmental organizations were manipulated into compromised positions by a system devised by corrupt officials, with the intent of extracting exorbitant amounts of money for their own personal gain.
But all is not lost in hopelessness and despair! The economy, though low, is growing and salaries are increasing. During the national elections in 2004 an outsider won, proving that Democracy is gaining ground in this once totalitarian society. Traian Basecu, the new President, stated that he would make improving the already good relations they had with the West, and the United States in particular, a priority of his administration. In 2004, Romania was also accepted into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [N.A.T.O], and it has provided soldiers for both Iraq and Afghanistan. In January 2007, Romania became a member of the European Union. In 2004, for the first time in many years the birth rate has produced a positive growth rate. Though there are vast numbers of young people in very precarious situations, the numbers in actual state institutions are way down. Though painful, this is reversing a trend of abandonment. Romania is also a country rich in God-given natural resources, one of the greatest being the land itself. Once she was know as the "Bread Basket of Europe". Agriculture and most industries are becoming productive once again, even if the growth is painfully slow. So even in desperation there is hope, even if it is only a dream or a seed yet to bear fruit; hope brings about reality and the hopeful aren't easily disappointed.
Dan and Daniela Pierce
www.bethanyhouseromania.org
The Light House
5610 S. Cockrell Hill Rd.
Dallas, TX 75236
www.eaadallas.org
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