Fifteen years ago, I saw a TV documentary about the homeless children living in the streets and sewers of Bucharest.  I was horrified by what I saw of their impoverished lives.  On impulse, I took a leave of absence from my job as training director at Metro-North Railroad in New York and booked a flight to Romania to see what could be done about the situation.

Once in Bucharest, I was unable to find any organization, governmental or private, willing to do anything to help these children.  For a few years, I tried to encourage existing organizations to help out.  What I found was that most charities don't like to work in Eastern Europe, and many prefer not to work with children who have been abandoned by their parents.  Given the difficult social and economic situation in Romania, I would understand their reluctance. 

Of course the children couldn't understand it and, even if they could, it wouldn't make them any less hungry.  So I decided to do something about it myself.  I got myself "demoted" to my old job as a conductor at Metro-North so I could make the time to get a degree in social work and, with it, some more credibility in my fund raising efforts.  Once I had the degree, I was ready to start Archway.

During the past 6 years, the organization has slowly but steadily grown. With a generous grant from the Ronald McDonald House Charities, we were able to buy trucks and bring food to the children.  Currently with a paid staff of eleven in Bucharest, we give hundreds of homeless children food, clothing, and medical care each week. We also provide a more permanent home to 26 younger children.  We are now working towards developing programs to provide our older children with the skills that will let them enter society as productive citizens. 

With gifts of clothing from volunteers throughout the US, we were able to begin to clothe the children.  With the help of vacationing firemen from England, we were able to build a children's residence. Volunteers and corporations provided shoes, medical care, legal assistance, and educational aid to the children. It's been amazing to me what people will do to help if they are just given the chance.

One of the things that makes Archway unique is the role volunteers play in its operation.  As its unpaid director, I oversee the management of Archway in Bucharest by phone and by visits there five or so times a year.  With the help of a wonderful staff in Bucharest, I oversee the hiring (and occasional firing) of child care workers to insure the children are safe and secure.

Adults and teenagers from Great Britain and the Netherlands as well as from the United States visit Bucharest to help Archway bring food and clothing to the children in the streets, construct residential facilities for them, and to help with the day-to-day operations of the children's center.

Why not learn more about Archway by exploring this web site.  You may want to join us in the work we are doing either by volunteering to help us through efforts in your own country or by visiting us in Bucharest. 

Most of our financial support comes from over 3,000 donors who regularly give anywhere from less than two dollars to over $10,000. As you learn more about us, you may want to make donations that will allow us to continue to pay for the food, staff, and medical care that our kids need.

Want more information?  Want to learn more about volunteer possibilities either at home or in Romania?   Would you like to make a donation?  Any ideas or suggestions about this web site?  We'd love to hear from you.