“I believed that nobody is interested in my fate or wants to help me. I believed for quite a while that people are only interested in themselves and will do anything to get what they want, without taking in consideration what happens around them. However, this scholarship has offered me not only the financial help I needed, but also the chance to meet different people who showed me empathy, cared about me, encouraged and motivated me, changed my view of the world around me.” – says Georgiana, a senior high-school student who received a social and merit based scholarship, whose parents are divorced and is raised by her grandmother.
“God expressed His love and mercy towards me by the trust I have been shown by the team of Good Samaritan, a trust I didn’t deserve due to my past. I have understood clearly the definition of love by the way I have been treated with an unconditional love. I found a family. It’s something that I had never experienced before, something that I find to be quite phenomenal!” – emotionally shares Nistor, an orphan with a tumultuous past who has been helped to integrate socially and professionally.
Turning to be 50 years old this January, Adrian, the founder of Good Samaritan decided to celebrate by committing to raise funds for a house and a high school student scholarship for every God given year of his life. Namely 50 scholarships and 50 homes. Madness, you might say! It’s over 1,000,000 euros!
But Adrian’s not the only person with goodwill that is turning 50 years old and he’s inviting anyone who is celebrating this fine age to get involved. In fact, anyone can get involved and donate their birthday to help 50 high school students from low-income families and 50 low-income families to have a decent place to call home.
The campaign will run throughout 2017 in various ways and one of those is via the online platform called Galantom.
Donate today! Sign Up to Fundraise!
Irina is a blond petite girl who is often smiling, although she’s not had the easiest life to date.
Born in Oradea, she was abandoned by her parents at birth. In 5th grade she was transferred to the orphanage in Beius. She went to trade school where she learnt to be a seamstress and then at 16 years old she got hired in a textile factory in Beius. However, she didn’t have a home and slept wherever she could. Some nights she would sleep on park benches, other nights in bars, other nights on abandoned worksites and other nights in the hospital. Basically she would go to sleep for the night, wherever she could. It was really difficult as she also had to go to work. One day, she was accidentally injured on the sports ground by the river where she used to sleep. Her right hand was broken which later led to a hematoma.
Since she wasn’t eating much and was staying in the cold, her injury was healing with difficulty. After complications in the healing process, Irina’s hand had to be operated on twice in December 2003. Even though she was appreciated by her boss, her right hand was affected in such a way that she was no longer able to continue working as a seamstress.
Living on the streets, her illness was aggravated and other health problems appeared: ulcer, peritonitis and osteoporosis. Being chronically ill, with no place to stay and no income was a scary situation for Irina. During this time, Good Samaritan found out about her medical problems and accepted her into the program and for several years in a row started looking after her medical problems, offering her shelter and securing a sponsorship for her everyday needs.
Some stories in life are sad. This one had a beautiful beginning, with a young family that was blessed by God with the gift of a child. With God’s help and yours, we hope that this story will have a happy ending.
On 23rd February 2010, Ionut and Claudia Toma’s family received a wonderful gift of a baby girl as their daughter, Andreea Antonia was born. She’s a beautiful little girl with blond hair and blue eyes, full of life and hope. Unfortunately at just 3 years old she was diagnosed with cancer (a tumor in the head, common B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia <CD 10, CD 19 pos> with determination brain <infiltrates intracerebral and meningeal>). She’s already had surgery to remove the tumour and is now receiving the specialist treatment recommended by doctors.
This family is now living a drama. Their child is in hospital for a few months, taking treatment and fighting with all her strength against this disease. It’s so much for her.
In the same way, Andreea’s parents Ionut and Claudia are also living a drama. Seeming powerless in the face of such a diagnostic, they don’t know how they have taken such a strong hit. They are a family with a modest income, in fact a small income, Ionut works in the furniture factory and Claudia in a show factory. Not only are they dealing with the pain and inability of being able to help their sick child, they are struggling with day to day living and all that is involved with travel to the hospital in Oradea, 60 km away. Claudia will take ‘leave for caring for a sick child’ so that she can be a personal assistant to Andreea. They are in great need…. but they’re not asking for anything in return, but are extremely grateful for anyone who gives them an outstretched hand. Their monthly costs are so much more than their financial possibilities. Imagine the life of a family which is living between hospital and home. Imagine how it is as one parents stays with the child in hospital and the other is travelling to and from the hospital, home and workplace.
Born in February 1979, Ferencz Mândruț was raised in the Beiuș local state orphanage of 750 with the goods and many bads that are known now to the general public and to many of his friends in town, country and abroad. While in the institution, he was told he cannot be funded for attending the music school in Cluj Napoca and ended up in the local vocational school doing a waiting tables apprenticeship. He ended up on the streets of Beiuș 
in December 1996 (he was under age of 18 at the time) where he spent 2 years. In the winter he was sleeping in the cellar under the former public library or the hall of the same facility now owned by a local church, with cardboard as his bed and his winter coat as a pillow. During the summer he slept behind a wardrobe, on the open air corridor way (patio) of the same building. With certain humor he accounts his baths taken in the local river for personal hygiene. Good Samaritan helped him with jobs for several years between late 1998 and 2006.
Situation of Mândruț to date – Many know his overweight issue. In October 2015 dr. Puia of Cluj-Napoca saw Mândruț and recommended bariatric surgery (stomach reduction- sleeve surgery- ). The medical check-up advised for surgery otherwise he is under life threat with the constant weight gaining. Mândruț has other medical issues: heart, diabetes, tyroid gland and bone issues due to overweight. He is under treatment for weight loss and is scheduled on January 18th for surgery in Cluj with a couple of days in hospital.