Daniel Centre

Finding jobs are more difficult with Covid-19 now at 10,000 new cases a day.  Alix has had one anger counselling online session.  Cipri has found a job but needs more health testing first.  André should start soon.

Istvan’s return to the Centre is on hold till he displays more motivation.  Daniel is doing well.  Marian is making progress with a loan approval for flat of his own.

The re-development of Blythswood’s depot now awaits final approval from the local mayor.

Schools are still closed, a full lockdown is possible in Cluj.

Talita Kum

Adi’s drivers are now clear of Covid-19 and back at work.

Adi is uncharacteristically demoralised at the moment because of a bureaucratic impasse in re-licensing TK1 and TK2 which could undermine their application for EU funds for running costs for TKs 1-4 submitted last August.

Daniel Centre

Alix would now like to receive anger counselling before he can find a place to rent for himself.  Cipri has developed a fever and was to be tested for Covid-19 on Tuesday morning.  André, who shares a unit with him in the Centre is finding it hard to self-isolate.

Istvan wants to come back to the Centre and Dani will interview him.  Daniel is doing well in combining studies with work.  Marian, who works in a car tyre centre, is working through the loan approval process to buy his own flat on a mortgage.

The architect is suggesting that Blythswood’s depot building should be only partially demolished to avoid damaging neighbouring properties.

Covid-19 cases are now at 5000 a day in Romania compared with 500 a day in May.  Schools are closed, some towns are quarantined and a 10 p.m. curfew is in place.

Talita Kum

3 of Adi’s staff drivers have gone down with Covid-a9 but are now recovering.  This has obliged Adi to drive to Austria himself to pick up textile supplies for the Blythswood shops in Jimboliya.

The original surveyor’s estimate for building TK3 and TK4 was not his mistake but was over-ridden when the structural engineer made a later more detailed estimate. 

They are now waiting for the result of their application for EU funds for running costs for TKs 1-4 submitted last August before deciding how to proceed with the TK3 and TK4 project.

Daniel Centre

Alix is still looking for a place to rent to move out from the Centre.  Cipri still struggles with diabetes but stubbornly  refuses treatment.  André is still looking for a job but the employment situation at the moment is very difficult.

Daniel who quit his job to attend school is doing well and the Centre is helping him set himself up in a self-employed capacity to earn enough money to fund himself while completing secondary school.  Marian has been approved for a bank loan to get his own apartment.

Plans to sell or re-develop three properties owned by Blythswood are moving ahead fairly smoothly.

Talita Kum

TK1 and TK2 are operating well. Jimboliya is less likely to go into impending lockdown faced by the city of Cluj, the home of the Daniel Centre, as Covid-19 cases rise again.

The original surveyor’s estimate for building TK3 and TK4 was far too low by about €150,000.  Blythswood needs legal advice in relation to the surveyor.  They may have to pull the plug on the project in which they have already invested €18,000.

Abandoning the project would invalidate the application for EU funds for running costs for TKs 1-4 submitted last August and so would severely impact TK1 and TK2.

Daniel Centre

Alix, with his new security company job, has improved in attitude, and is now positive about leaving the Centre in a month to rent for himself.  Cipri struggles and takes days off work, refusing treatment for his diabetes.  André lost his new job, not reporting on time to sign his contract.

Daniel has quit his job to attend school for 6 hours each day to get a diploma.  He has the intelligence for it and has also been offered part-time work doing 4 hours a day delivering food by bicycle.

The average age of young people leaving care centres is 19, compared to 28 for young people leaving a stable family setting.  65% of care centre leavers don’t feel ready to move on and 50% have had no life skills training such as is offered by the Daniel Centre.

The Daniel Centre does not qualify for any of the €1 billion EU fund to help develop the depot.

 Talita Kum

TK1 and TK2 have re-opened again with a full quota of students.  Adi reports no problems with finding teachers, possibly as home-tutoring has decreased because of the Covid-19 crisis.  Covid-19 cases are increasing again.

Adi’s application for TK3/TK4 funding was refused because of failure to include the fire safety requirements in his application.  So he has to start a new application.

Daniel Centre

When residents are first accepted by the Daniel Centre, they are given a 6 or 9 month contract.  These contracts are then renewed as necessary according to the needs and attitudes of the individual residents

István, Soreen and Alix are now, willingly or unwillingly, coming to the end of their time there and will only have their contracts renewed with difficulty.  André, who came in July, now has a job and is a stable addition to the Centre.

Balazs hopes that they may be able to qualify for some of the €1 billion EU fund to help develop the depot where the Blythswood Charity Shop currently stands to release more sustainable cash in future from rentals.

Talita Kum

Adi has had two good summer camps, one in relation to Talita Kum for primary school children and the other a more secular camp for artists.

TK1 and TK2 return to business in the next couple of weeks but the school situation in Romania is currently quite chaotic with teachers and pupils alike not knowing quite what to expect or what the rules are.

The rate of increase in Covid cases has now flattened.

Daniel Centre

Most residents come from the Child Protection services in the area around Cluj.  The Centre takes residents who are borderline emotional cases, one of the few institutions taking young people in this category.  The Centre has now had about 120 residents over its 20-year existence.  The big majority of those have left with a positive attitude towards the Centre.  Only a few, however, have been emotionally stable enough to go on to have families of their own.

István has now left the Centre to live with his aunt, but already regretting the move.  Soreen has quit his job and may also have to leave the Centre.  Alix, who has been resident since 2015, has improved in attitude and may be getting a new job as night watchman with a security company.  The new resident André who came in July, seems to be a more open-minded young man.

Progress in developing the depot for renting and in selling the property by the airport is quite slow.

Talita Kum

Adi is coming towards the end of his summer camp with 30 children ranging in age from Primary 1 to Primary 8.

Daniel Centre

István is still somewhat disconnected from reality.  The new Alix now has a gas station job.  Cipri is physically more stable and profiting from psychiatric help.  The brothers Daniel and Gaby have good jobs but unhappy with them – Daniel wants to continue High School studies.  The old Alix is on a 2-month ultimatum to leave the Centre – he may change work as he has back problems from lifting heavy white goods in his delivery job.  He may move out with another of the resident who qualifies for a mortgage.

There are bureaucratic delays in developing the depot which houses the charity shop.  By re-developing the depot, two new rental properties will be made available.

Dani continues to be encouraged by his sessions with psychologist counselling on his work.

Talita Kum

Adi now has an end-of-August deadline for re-submitting his application for EU funding for running costs for TK1 and TK2.  The TK3 and TK4 developments now face cost swell beyond the original estimates.

The 1-week summer camp for 40 children starts on August 20th. 

TK1 and TK2 await government directions on handling school re-openings in the current health situation.

New Covid cases in Romania are now at 1500 daily.

Daniel Centre

Two weeks ago was the first time for the Daniel Centre to have all their lads in employment.  István has since resigned his job at Carrefour as he was under pressure for being too slow.  A new lad, Alix, has since joined the Centre and is not yet in work.  Cipri has started having faints and is a cause for concern.

The Centre’s re-licensing application has been submitted on time and progress has been made on selling the adjoining site for flat developments.  There is also movement on selling the airport property.  Blythswood will soon be closing their charity shop in Cluj as it has been loss-making over the past 6 months, rather than a source of funding for the Daniel Centre.

Dani is encouraged in his interactions with the lads and has a psychologist now giving him regular feedback and counselling on his work.

Talita Kum

Adi can now re-submit an application for EU funding for running costs for TK1 and TK2 after his initial application was turned down last year.  The TK3 and TK4 developments are still at the stage of waiting for planning permits.

The schools are still closed but Adi now has funding in place for a 1-week summer camp in the mountains for 40 children.

Because of a legislative 2-week black hole where it was deemed illegal to impose self isolations for the Covid crisis, Romania has now seen an upward spike in new cases to over 1000 a day.

Daniel Centre

The 5-year licensing is in progress but is usually quite a bureaucratic process.

The residents have been generally in better form over the past few weeks.  Dani meets them more on an individual basis because of the Covid restrictions.

Negotiating goes on with the local council as the Daniel Centre refurbishes one property for renting and they await a better offer on a second property – the airfield property – they want to sell.

These ventures would release more funding for the Centre as the Cluj charity shop becomes less viable.

Talita Kum

Food deliveries continue for the families of the TK children and for older people in the community.

Adi has arranged picnics for children who would normally be attending Talita Kum at this time of year.

Summer camps and the annual International Arts Camp will take place as planned with funding now in place.

Infections continue to rise, now up to 400 a day.

Daniel Centre

Alix has taken over from Titi as cook.  One resident, another Alix, is worked off his feet in a courier service, but no resident has lost his job because of the lockdown.

Ciprian had been suicidal but is now recovering with psychiatric counselling.  István wants to quit his job rather than get up for morning shifts.  Soreen will have to leave the Centre soon for disciplinary reasons, seemingly always in the centre of any trouble in the Centre.

Ionuz who had previously left the Centre to live independently continues to deteriorate in his health with more frequent seizures and will probably have to go for a retirement pension.

The Centre had a BBQ, in spite of very thundery weather, for about 15 previous residents on Friday, 5th June, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Daniel Centre opening.

Talita Kum

The three shops re-opened on June 2nd and continue to do well.   Food deliveries for the families of the TK children and for older people in the community.

Schools will re-open in September but Adi has arranged picnics with social distancing for children who would normally be attending Talita Kum at this time of year.

Summer camps will go ahead, this year without foreign volunteers like Millburn Academy in Inverness and are looking for funding.  The annual International Arts Camp with artists from countries less affected by Covid 19 will also take place as planned.  This camp is funded by local government.

In Romania generally, infections have been on the rise again, up from 120/150 to 300 a day.