Moinesti

The city of Moinesti is located in the north-west area of Bacau county, 45 km from the City of Bacau and 8 km away from Comanesti. It is situated on the reservoir of the river system Trotus-Tazlau, an area rich in natural resources such as oil, coal, gas and mineral waters.

Moineşti experienced a steady economic growth thanks to the large petroleum extracting industry. After 1990, however, following the nation-wide industry privatization Moineşti's economy changed dramatically, at some points reaching level of unemployment of over 50%.

The city is proud of its spiritual and sports life and has a desire to become an important spa resort, due to its natural landscape and many ‘healing’ mineral springs. The local administration is preoccupied in promoting Moinesti’s tourist potential and creating the necessary infrastructure in order to increase the area’s attractiveness as a tourist destination. The city has received European funding and as a result has experienced some urban, economic and tourism development.

Libra aims to improve the quality of life for children in Moinesti and to integrate different segments of society.

Tristan Tzara School

The Tristan Tzara School is a Romanian Middle School with good facilities in the centre of the town. The children involved on the Libra summer programme are those with social difficulties and those with deprivation in their families. The school is host to Libra’s summer project.

Lucacesti High School

Students from the High School provide our volunteer body and assist us with language, accommodation and work on our projects with the Libra students.

Pietricica Residential Homes:

Pietricica is a group of government-run residential care homes for abandoned children and those with learning difficulties. Most of the residents are boys aged 12 to 20, many of whom have special educational needs and the centre’s priority is to ensure the care and safety of these children with education provided by a separate special needs school next door.

Casa Lumina

Casa Lumina is a residential care home for 23 young adults with special needs.

The Robert Cole Center

The Robert Cole Centre is a special needs school and day care centre, established by the UK registered charity Biggin Hill Romania Group. It is named in loving memory of a young Englishman who worked and tragically died near Comanesti. Once pupils have graduated from the school there is an opportunity for them to gain further vocational and life skills in the ‘Foundations for Life Centre’.

Rroma

The Rroma are largely outcast from society, and struggle to access medical care and education. Large families of about 10 people are cramped into tiny ‘shacks’ and battling the fierce winters can be harsh and challenging. Groups of Rroma children are encouraged to access our integration projects and we hope that in the years to come, some of these social bridges will start to be built, and maybe even crossed.

The Summer Project

The children from all these organisations join together in joint activities based in the Tristan Tzara School. We are extremely grateful to Viorel Costea from the Mayor’s office, for providing support facilities and helping us with this project. Libra’s educational programme includes music, dance, sport, art and craft, all with a message of helping the children to integrate socially.

With the common goal of creating a performance in front of the people of Moinesti in which every individual would play his or her part, Libra celebrates the unity of youth, regardless of background. Key to our ambitions is for our work to be public so that the town can see that, with some imagination and plenty of goodwill, it is possible to break down the barriers that blights lives.