The “Family Footprint” event is organized by the Romania Without Orphans Alliance (ARFO) in partnership with the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 , on the occasion of the International Family Day, from 09:30 to 11:30 in the Hall of Floor S1 inside the Palace of Parliament.

Adopted children, encouraged by Mini and Micky Mouse, will get their hands on the easel, embraced by the hands of their adoptive parents, and Romanian MPs will be able to sign the pictures to support the adoption and family integration of children deprived of parental care.

Currently, there is a proposal to amend the adoption law, under debate in the Senate. The law would allow bureaucracy to be reduced and would provide greater opportunities for adoption of disabled children.

There are 57,000 children in Romania on whom a protection measure has been instituted. Unfortunately, only 5.7% of them are adoptable and only 1.3% have been adopted last year. Studies show that “institutional or residential care for a child, with staff rotating in shifts, profoundly alters brain architecture and other vital aspects of child development” – Dr. Philip A. Fischer, in Science of neglect, National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Harvard University.

The Romania Without Orphans Alliance is campaigning for every child in Romania to live protected by a permanent family dedicated to his welfare. The ARFO target is by 2020 to double the number of adoptions in our country.

We all play a role in this dream!

About the Romania Without Orphans Alliance (ARFO)

The Romania Without Orphans Alliance (ARFO) brings together non-governmental and religious organizations, businesses, public and private persons to mobilize society to show care for children in difficulty.

Amongst the initiatives are the ARFO Annual Summits, the “Orphan Sunday” campaign, the Training Consortium for Trauma, and the “ReFresh” Conferences. More than just creating a program, ARFO aims to mobilize the whole of society to show care for children in difficulty. Members of the Alliance are individuals and organizations committed to serving the physical, mental and spiritual needs of children in difficulty, including their adoption, family placement, maternity support, counseling and prevention of abandonment.

The Romania Without Orphans Alliance (ARFO) is affiliated with World Without Orphans (WWO) and Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO).