Kit for Kids kit out centre for disadvantaged children in Romania.
Kit for Kids has been working together with Romanian charity FARA, who has the privilege of having The Prince of Wales as a Patron, to design, manufacture and fit a specialist softplay area to be used by disadvantaged children with no access to schooling.
Kit for Kids' main factory is based in the Transylvania region of Romania famously admired and scripted by romantic novalists such as Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley. The company decided to manufacture their products in Romania over 10 years ago; a chance meeting in Nuremburg led them to discover the intense attention to detail and quality of products produced in Romania. Since operations began in Romania Kit for Kids has continously supported the local communities, recently becoming involved with the FARA charity.
In Romania there are thousands of children with disabilites who have no access to schooling. FARA is one of the few experienced charities working in partnership with Romanian Authorities and other NGOs to care for disabled children, providing long term commitment, special education and life skills. One of FARA's newly completed projects is the Sami Centre in Bucharest, an educational play centre offering places for 14 children with severe disabilities from the ages of 3 yeras and up. The centre, opened in March 2007, is named after a young boy named Sami who is severly physically and mentally disabled. Sami, an adorable child full of love and fun. was one of the children who Kit for Kids' Director Graham Campbell met during one of his visits to the country. It was during this visit that Mr. Campbell managed to talk to both the children and the helpers to discuss what his company could do for the centre and how this would best help the children.
Kit for Kids provided the Sami Centre with an educational softplay area that kept safety as a key feature. It has thick padded walls and flooring covering the whole area, one side showing a farm scene and the other displaying a fun jungle panorama. Incorporated into the sides are sensory items promoting the use of the child's senses; sight, sound, smell and touch.
According to the UK spokeperson for FARA, "The Sami Centre is proving a great success and we now have a waiting list for the children to attend".
FARA hopes to extend the programme at the Sami Centre to offer a home schooling programme to many more children. Kit for Kids hopes to continue to provide the Sami Centre, and other projects funded by FARA, with equipment and funding for key services such as school meals.
Kit for Kids is dedicated to supporting childrens' charities that do not have the necessary profile to attract mainstream funding or donations. FARA is a very hands-on charity with 90% of their donations going directly to its projects in Romania.
More information on the FARA charity and the Sami Centre can be found at www.faracharity.orgor via emailing mail@faracharity.org.
FARA Foundation - Registered Charity No. 1004911