Nanny in a Romanian Orphanage

Name: Helen Taggart

Age: 23 at the time

Job: Orphanage Volunteer

Pay: Varies according to experience

Qualifications Needed: NNEB, also qualified teachers and nurses.

Hours: Around 6 hours a day, weekends usually free

Accommodation: I stayed in an old people's home, but volunteers usually stay in an apartment.

I was really moved by a report on the plight of the Romanian children in 1991, a year after the revolution, and wanted to get involved. I applied to work in an orphanage out there and after a long interview and a few day training I was sent to an orphanage in Bucharest for 3 months.

I worked with a group of childcare professionals who included teachers, paediatric nurses and nursery nurses. We were a great team, supporting each other through the hard times and having some great laughs along the way.

The orphanage was headed by a Romanian director and each unit (about 40 kids) had a doctor and a team of local Romanian carers who were usually mothers themselves. They were generally really overworked and understaffed - often one carer would be left to look after 30 children. The kids spent most of the time sitting or rolling on the floor with only the odd cuddly toy to play with.

I was placed in a room of about 15 children aged from 18 months to 5 years.
Our aim was to demonstrate good practical childcare appropriate to the conditions. This meant that we used a lot of natural materials, but you can have a lot of fun with water and stones!

The kids had really amazing personalities and were desperate for affection. A lot of our time was spent just cuddling them. Every moment was precious - there was no time to get bored.

During the time I was there a lot of children were adopted. We would often come into work and one of the children would have gone, often we didn't know if they had been adopted or tested positive for HIV and gone for treatment elsewhere.

Working in a Romanian Orphanage was the most rewarding and positive experience of my life. Looking back on it now I'm sad to remember the children I left behind but hope that I made some kind of difference to their lives.

Helen's Tips

• Build up a good relationship with your hosts - you won't make any progress otherwise.
• Don't get involved in adoptions. Trying to help adoptive parents can often complicate things and cause problems which are detrimental to the welfare of the children.
• Working in a team is vital. Your colleagues will need your support and you will need theirs.
• Romanians often speak a little French so learn a few useful phrases before you go and take a French dictionary with you.
• Romania is a beautiful country. Make time to travel around and explore the countryside and culture.

Companies organising work in orphanages include:

Health Aid UK
Deals with Romanian children with HIV and children in Uganda and Kenya
01707 640349
www.healthaiduk.org

European Children's Trust
Cares for children in Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, & Kyrgyz Republic.
0207 248 2424
www.everychild.org.uk

Have you had an exciting nannying job abroad? We'd love to hear about it. Email us on feedback@bestbear.co.uk.