We first met Maria (born in 2009) when the local authorities asked us to offer her and Rares, her brother, a home. The two children had witnessed emotional conflicts and fights between their parents. Being deprived of parental affection, poorly dressed, dirty, and hungry, they were in desperate need.

After the parents' divorce, the mother and her two children were shunned from their grandmother's house, and things progressively worsened for Maria and Rares. Their father (employed abroad) made it clear that he had no interest in his children, while their mother, lacking a stable home and finances, was in no position to take care of them properly. Left in the sporadic care of their neighbors and relatives, the children were often neglected, unsupervised, without the most basic care at a very young age.

Despite all these obstacles, God opened the way for Maria and Rares to become a part of our Hand of Help family in 2013. The two siblings quickly adapted to their new life and friends, and we were overjoyed to see them grow harmoniously.

A local family regularly invited Maria to spend her weekends, holidays, and summers with them for several years. Since strong bonds formed between them, the couple asked to foster Maria. After obtaining approval from the court, they welcomed Maria into their foster care for over two years. However, since they can no longer continue fostering Maria, the local authorities asked us to step in and take care of her once again.

Maria is a joyous child, always involved in various activities at school, is persistent, and works hard until she obtains the results she strives for. She started the 6th grade in the fall of 2021. We pray that our God will guide her in her time re-adjusting, comfort her and surround her with His divine peace, leading her to become a faithful servant of His.