Founder’s Note
What started out as a dream of overflowing orchards in 1991 has blossomed into a ministry that has touched the lives of thousands of orphans, volunteers, staff, and supporters. Livada is the Romanian word for orchard and serves as a symbol of what we want our ministry to continue to do- bear fruit that will last. Today Livada is focused on fulfilling our original mission to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in five main ways:
- Residential Care through a full-time, family style approach in group homes, mentor apartments, and private foster care
- Cradle Care of abandoned infants and toddlers in hospital wards and domestic foster to adopt program
- Orphan Outreach to abandoned kids in state care facilities
- Prevention of Abandonment efforts in Gypsy villages
- Romania Without Orphans Alliance to mobilize the Church and State in Romania to care for the vulnerable around them.
Together with our Romanian staff, our western missionaries, and volunteers from Romania, America, Australia, Holland, and all over the European Union, we remain steadfastly devoted to our calling to build God’s kingdom through this platform of orphan care. Please come and experience the life-change this livada has to offer for yourself. It could change your life. It has certainly changed ours.
For Fruit That Will Last,
Bruce Thomas
Founder
There are an estimated 60,000 abandoned children and 200,000 highly at-risk vulnerable Gypsy children in Romania today. UNICEF reports that the abandonment rate has remained unchanged in the past 30 years.
Livada’s holistic approach begins by nurturing orphans in the cradle and ends with them becoming faithful, interdependent, contributing members of society. The platform of all programs is a discipleship process leading to life change and personal responsibility.
Today there are four major departments of our local ministry:
- Full-time, Family-Style Residential care. This is made up of private group homes, mentor apartments, and foster care.
- Cradle Care to abandoned infants and toddlers in hospital wards, foster care and adoption.
- Orphan Outreach to orphans in state care. This involves highly relational weekly Christian clubs, humanitarian aid, dental care, evangelistic summer camps, and discipleship groups.
- Prevention of Abandonment to at-risk Roma (Gypsy) kids and poor families. This ministry offers weekly Christian clubs, humanitarian aid, and crisis intervention.
And one growing aspect of ministry that allows us to multiply our experience nationally:
- Co-founders of the Romania Without Orphans Alliance (Alianta Romania Fara Orfani arfo.ro) of orphan care providers which helps to a) Train adoptive parents, foster parents, and caregivers in Trauma Informed Care. b) Mobilize the Church in Romania to care for vulnerable kids and families in their communities and c) Mobilize the government for better child protection legislation and action.
Results to Date
- Today Livada weekly impacts hundreds of orphans and at-risk kids in state care, impoverished villages, and private care.
- We host an average of 100 mission trip participants per year.
- We manage private group homes, private foster care, private mentor apartments.
- We run Christian summer camps for orphans in state care and vulnerable children from at risk Roma (Gypsy) villages.
Funding Plan
- Entity Funding sources: 89% Individuals, 3% Businesses, and 8% Churches
- Child Sponsorship, Corporate Matching, Church mission budgetary support, Fundraising Events, and monthly/annual donations from individuals are the main income venues
- Mission trip administration fees and minor investments are the other sources of income
- An active database of 3000+ donors is communicated with monthly by email/quarterly letters
- A capital campaign for a Gypsy Day Center and Counseling Center is underway
