History

On Christmas Day 1989 Romanian President Nicholas Ceausescu and his wife Elena were shot by firing squad.

Two years later Jane Nicholson, MBE founded FARA. Her aim was to alleviate the terrible suffering of children left abandoned in Romania’s state orphanages.

In this short video, Jane describes how she came to set up FARA and explains some of the values which underpin her work.

Values

We believe that, like the best parenting, the care we provide must address the whole person. We therefore take a holistic approach, seeking to address the needs of children and young people at every level: social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. In all our work we are inspired by the Christian value of compassion.

We promote the acceptance of each child and young person as an individual by their peers, by the wider community and by society as a whole.

We promote inclusiveness, underpinned by our conviction that every child and young person has a part to play in society and should be accorded love and respect as a uniquely gifted individual.

We believe that the deepest need of our children and young people is to experience genuine love as part of a stable family, where spiritual, social and material needs are generously nurtured.

Whatever the present challenges, we maintain a firm hope for a future where everyone’s potential can be fulfilled and where the experience of a loving and supportive upbringing is sustained in adult life by the wider structures of family and society.

FARA’s outreach to Romania’s children and young people is a practical expression of the Christian values of faith, hope and love.

Here is a prayer which we use in support of our work.

What makes us different

Supporters of FARA know that the contribution they make will have a direct and lasting impact on the quality of life of Romanian children. Whether they help indirectly, through purchases and donations of clothes at FARA’s shops, or directly through charitable