#concordiastories: The Story of Lucica
She knew that many children came from the street and did not know hygiene rules. She also knew that these children were malnourished because they only ate when there was food.
19 years ago, a young nurse came across a job ad from CONCORDIA Social Projects for a position at the "Farm of the Children" in Aricestii. Lucica Călin had just started her professional career and had already worked in a pharmacy of a local hospital. But she was dissatisfied with her professional situation. She would rather have a job where she had to care less about physical suffering and more about health prevention.
She applied and passed CONCORDIA's medical recruitment test with flying colors. Lucica was 25 years old when she started her career at CONCORDIA. Today, she is one of CONCORDIA's oldest employees and has worked with dozens of children.
Before Lucica started, her husband was already volunteering as a night educator in one of the houses of the "Farm of the Children". Therefore, she knew numerous stories about the children. For example, she knew that many of the children living at the farm were taken from the streets and had no knowledge of hygiene rules at all. She also knew that these children were malnourished because they only ate when there was food. Her husband had also told her that the children had such a close relationship with the educators that they addressed them as "mama" and "papa".
Lucica's first day of work at CONCORDIA was an overwhelming experience: While she had previously been responsible for caring for adults all day, she was now taking care of nearly 80 children who lived on the farm without parents.n.
From one day to the next, she was not only a nurse, but also a mother and friend to her little "patients"
„I was amazed at how many children lived on the farm. I knew beforehand that there were many there, but when I counted 75 on the first day, I got scared. I had to remember all the names and learn the health problems of all the children. Also, there were many houses. I was a little confused on my first day here. I spent the first two weeks with a colleague every day to learn as much as I could.“
Her work was difficult. Lucica was not only responsible for the health of the children, but also had to clean the houses and prepare food for the children. But step by step she got used to everything, increasingly acquired the necessary skill in performing her daily tasks and became more and more self-confident.
Over the years she learned from all the children the sad stories they suffered before living on the farm. She developed a close bond with each child and kept in touch even with those who had already left the farm and were then either living in CONCORDIA's centers in Bucharest and Ploiesti or even leading independent lives.
Today, Lucica takes care of the health and healthy nutrition of a total of 22 children living in three family homes. She visits each home daily to ensure that all hygiene rules are followed, that the general diet plan and special diets are carefully followed, and that those children who need to take medication actually take their medication. She takes the children to doctor's appointments and makes sure that the children are vaccinatedn.
Most important for Lucica, however, is to be there for the children when they miss their mothers.
In these important moments, Lucica is there to give strength and courage to her little charges. In her nearly two decades at CONCORDIA, Lucica always felt she was right where she was needed most. The children would be like her second family. That's why it was important to her not only to do her job, but also to take care of the children's emotional development.
When she harvests thyme with the children on the farm, she discusses with them the importance of reducing sweets in their daily diet. Or she explains the importance of oral hygiene for healthy teeth. She often uses the craft sessions with the children to talk about family, friendship, respect and responsibility.
But Lucica has also learned a lot during her time at CONCORDIA. She gained a lot of medical knowledge from the doctors she worked with to provide medical care for the children. On the other hand, the children taught her about the importance of family. She finds it amazing that no matter how good the conditions are in CONCORDIA homes, children are always attracted to their families and want to go home as often as possible, even if it means sleeping in houses without proper beds and heating.
They love and miss their family no matter what happens.
All this information made Lucica appreciate her family even more and, as a mother, pay more attention to how she responds to the needs of her children.
CONCORDIA Social Projects is proud of its great team of staff and volunteers, with whom the organization has been able to implement a wide range of projects and support over 30 years. Together we work towards our mission: to help poor families care for their children. We provide as many vulnerable children and young people as possible with access to education and the conditions for an independent life - for a way out of poverty.
HELP US LEADING CHILDREN OUT OF POVERTY. EVERY CONTRIBUTION COUNTS!