Seven girls who left residential education institutions as from last September have lived at a placement center of the Regina Pacis Foundation and can stay there for three years. The girls are aged between 18 and 21. Two of them are twelfth graders, another two attend vocational schools, while three work. They form part of the second class of the assisted living project “In Cammino”.

The Center’s manager Inga Platon told IPN’s reporter that Assisted Living is a service that provides social assistance, professional orientation and personal development services to girls who lack support after leaving orphanages or placement centers and are looking for a purpose in life. Though Assisted Living, they benefit from free accommodations for three years. They work and pay for one of the public utilities so as to learn to be responsible.

If they do not yet have professional training, the girls are helped to enroll at studies. When they learn a profession, they look for a job to gain experience and life skills and to accumulate a budget so as to be financially independent and integrate into society. “We guide them, not take them by their hand to where they should be as this means creating the same dependence as under the previous services in boarding schools and placement centers,” stated Inga Platon.

At the second stage of the project, the assistance services were extended. A famous person is invited each month to share the accumulated experience. There are staged training courses for the development of social intelligence and communication. The girls take part in volunteering activities to develop social integration skills.

The Center does not employ staff. The girls live alone. The working girls purchase food at their own expense, while those who study are supplied with food products by the Foundation. They are also offered medicines and clothing if necessary. The Center provides appropriate living conditions for the girls.

The Center has a capacity of 12  places. The stay period is of three years and during this period a young woman can study, take up a job and gain experience. If they manage to do this faster, they can concede their place to other beneficiaries. There were 15 beneficiaries within the first class. These studied such professions as hairdresser, seamstress and cook and later integrated into society.