Ogra KidsOrphan OutreachPrevention
When most people think about orphan care, they imagine big moments.
A child being adopted.
A mission team visiting for a week.
A Christmas celebration filled with gifts and laughter.
But at Livada Orphan Care, we’ve learned something profound over the past two decades:
Real transformation rarely happens in a moment. It happens in consistency.
It happens on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.
It happens in a weekly club.
What Is a Weekly Club?
Across Mureș County and in nearby Roma (Gypsy) villages, Livada staff and trained volunteers gather with children every single week.
These clubs include:
Bible teaching
Small group discussion
Tutoring and literacy support
Games and recreation
Prayer and mentoring
Humanitarian aid when needed
Some of these children live in state group homes.
Some live in deep poverty in Roma villages.
Many are behind in school.
Almost all carry emotional wounds.
And almost all of them are hungry for one thing:
Someone who keeps showing up.
Why Consistency Matters So Much
Many of the children we serve have experienced abandonment.
Some were left in hospitals as infants.
Some were removed from abusive homes.
Some are being raised in generational poverty with little stability.
In trauma-informed care, one of the most powerful healing tools is predictable, safe relationships.
When a child knows:
“They will be here next week.”
“They remember my name.”
“They ask about my life.”
“They pray for me.”
Something begins to shift inside that child.
Walls slowly lower.
Trust slowly builds.
Hope slowly returns.
Consistency communicates something words alone cannot:
You are worth staying for.
Discipleship Takes Time
Livada’s mission is not simply to meet physical needs.
It is to engage, evangelize, and equip vulnerable children for life and ministry.
Discipleship is not a one-time decision. It is a process.
In weekly clubs, children:
Memorize Scripture over time
Learn how to pray
Wrestle with hard questions
Develop moral foundations
Discover their identity in Christ
Some of these children will hear the Gospel dozens of times before responding.
That’s okay.
Seeds grow in seasons.
And weekly clubs create the soil.
The Academic Ripple Effect
Many of the children in state care are behind academically.
Many Roma children struggle with literacy due to poverty and inconsistent school attendance.
Weekly clubs provide:
Homework help
Encouragement
Literacy development
Educational structure
For a child who may never have been encouraged in school, hearing:
“You can do this.”
“You are smart.”
“I believe in you.”
can change their academic trajectory — and sometimes their entire future.
Prevention of Abandonment
In Roma villages, weekly clubs are more than Bible studies.
They are prevention ministries.
When children:
Receive encouragement
Develop life skills
Build healthy relationships
Experience church community
They are far less likely to enter the abandonment pipeline that has plagued Romania for decades.
Prevention is quieter than rescue.
But it is often more powerful.
A Realistic Picture
Weekly clubs are not glamorous.
There are:
Behavioral challenges
Emotional outbursts
Inconsistent attendance
Hard conversations
But there are also:
First smiles
First prayers
First Bible verses
First expressions of trust
First moments of believing “God loves me”
These small, repeated interactions build a foundation that lasts far beyond childhood.
What $120 Per Year Can Do
It costs approximately $120 per year to sponsor a child in one of our outreach or Roma prevention clubs.
That covers:
Curriculum
Supplies
Staff time
Humanitarian support
Discipleship materials
For about $10 per month, a child receives something that cannot be measured in dollars:
Consistency.
And consistency changes everything.
The Bigger Picture
Today, Livada touches approximately 500+ vulnerable children weekly across full-time care, outreach, cradle care, and prevention ministries.
But the heartbeat of long-term transformation?
It often beats inside a small weekly club.
Not flashy.
Not dramatic.
But faithful.
And faithfulness — repeated over time — produces fruit.
Just like an orchard.
Will You Help Us Keep Showing Up?
Children who have experienced instability need something stronger than emotion.
They need endurance.
They need adults who will show up next week… and the week after that… and the week after that.
Because sometimes, the most powerful thing you can give a child…
is simply someone who stays.
