Concordia: Community with Homeless Children
Romania, Eastern Europe
“When a child on the streets takes your hand and asks, “Do you have room for me?”, this is the beginning of a shared journey. We fight to give the child a bed and bread – the bread of love.” — Fr. George Sporschill SJ
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Father Georg Sporschill SJ, an Austrian Jesuit, was sent to Romania with the goal of helping homeless children in the country. His initiative has grown into a community with more than one thousand members in 2006.
In Romania, there is a social centre which receives homeless children and provides first aid. 400 children live in 35 groups which resemble families in the “City of Children”, on the “Farm for Children” and in the several children’s homes in Bucharest. In addition to street work and advice, Concordia provides training workshops for the education and therapy of the adolescents.
In the Republic of Moldavia, one model home with 22 children and a learning centre has been built in Chisinau since 2004. The foundation was laid for the “City of Children” in Pritia with 300 places.
Based on the model which proved successful in Romania and the republic of Moldavia, Concordia opened its children’s home in the Ukraine in 2006. 72 children have been provided with accommodation in 6 family groups.
Concordia collaborates in all countries with the state child protection agencies. In large projects, Concordia shares the sponsorship with the state institutions.
The objective of Concordia is to provide security and education to homeless children. The religious education is also important to Concordia and works primarily with the orthodox churches in Romania, Moldavia and in the Ukraine. There is a chapel for ecumenical services in all establishments of Concordia. When a Roman Catholic priest is available, the children enjoy the celebration of a Holy Mass.
Through the program Eastwind/Westwind, Concordia invites young people from poor and rich countries to share the work on an honorary basis for one year. The social work strengthens their personalities. They find direction for their lives and a religious foundation. Concordia employs 300 educational staff.
The educational concept of Concordia is simple and clear. There are six steps on the way up. The children are accompanied step by step with the goal healing and to enabling them to become independent.
- First Step – Street Work: The street work team goes to the children in the streets. They invite them to come with Concordia.
- Second Step – Social Centre: The social centre Lazarus is a contact point with simple rules to allow children to stay.
- Third Step – Children’s Home: The children who were homeless live in children’s homes. They find a family.
- Fourth Step – Training Workshops: The completion of a good training is the first step to growing up.
- Fifth Step – Shared Accommodations: The adolescents discover the path into independence in the shared accommodation schemes.
- Sixth Step – Club Concordia: The alumni gather in Club Concordia as friends and advisers; they pass on what they have received.
“He who saves one life, saves the whole world” is the Biblical wisdom which provides the guidelines for the pastoral work with homeless children.