If you think you need a degree to work with orphans, you don’t.
Dedication is more important than a diploma.

If you think Romania is just too difficult to work in, it’s not.
The majority of people under 30 understand English
and the lifestyle is very European.

If you’ve wanted to go to Europe but couldn’t justify it,
this is a way to make that trip
something truly worthwhile.

> Romanian version

Working with orphans for a month isn’t difficult.
The children need you so much
you can’t help but be drawn to them.

But be careful.
You might wind up staying for 6 months.
Or a year.
Or a lifetime.
Because once you really get involved in their lives
you’ll begin to need them too.
And you’ll discover that as difficult as it is to stay,
it’s almost impossible to leave.

We work with children 
who will probably never leave the institution.
That makes the work a bit more difficult 
because you can’t reward yourself 
by pointing to a success.

So why do it?
Because there is no reward or repayment!
It’s great to do something 
just because it’s the right thing to do.

If you come to Romania for a month
you’ll have a lot of fun.
Working at the orphanage is great
and seeing a world so different
from anything you’ve experienced before
is a tremendous adventure.

If you stay longer
you’ll discover that living in Romania is easier
than you might have thought
and working in an orphanage is tougher
than you might have thought.

But the good news is,
there are a lot of really great people already doing it.

It can be done.
You can do it.
We’ll help you.

It’s a life.
A good one.

Fundaţia În braţe is a registered Romanian charitable foundation
working with abandoned & handicapped children that are housed
in State-run institutions.

It was founded by an American business executive who started
working with Romanian orphans in the summer of 2000.
Most workers are Romanian. Foreign workers have come
from America, Belgium, and Holland.

Our workers are young, old, single, married, parents,
single mothers, college graduates, high school graduates,
doctors, social workers, pastors, teachers, professionals...
but ultimately we’re just people who give abandoned children 
as much attention and affection as we can.

În braţe is pronounced “In braht-seh”.
It literally means “in arms”,
but is a common phrase 
used by children who want to be 
picked up and held.

It comes from the Romanian 
text of Mark 10:16 where Jesus 
took the children in his arms,
put his hands on them,
and blessed them.

The reason that’s such a compelling thing 
is that you have no idea what it’s like 
until you’ve taken them in your arms.
The best way to love an orphan 
is up close.

If this is something you need to do 
we’ll help make it possible.
We’ll find you an apartment,
show you how to shop and pay your bills,
help you with the language...

All you have to do is come.
And take them in your arms.

Fundaţia În braţe is a registered Romanian charitable foundation
working with abandoned & handicapped children that are housed
in State-run institutions.

There are 125 abandoned children in the institution we work in.
All but a dozen are mentally and physically handicapped.
Many can’t walk or feed themselves.
Only a few can talk.

When you take the children for an hour or two 
and then put him back in their beds 
they often cry or even try to hurt themselves.
The children have learned to live with their handicaps.
What they haven’t learned to live with is being abandoned.

It’s easy to criticize parents 
who would abandon their child, 
but the harsh reality 
is that a desperately poor family 
with an income of $30 a month 
has no ability to help 
their handicapped child.
They know the State can provide 
better care than they can.

In some respects this is true.
What is not true is that the State 
can ever replace the child’s family.
An institutionalized child 
is housed, clothed, and fed 
but loses in almost every other area.

Our work is to reverse 
the disastrous effects of abandonment.
We relieve their pain, lift their depression,
give them love, give them a life.

It’s quite a deal. We give them our lives,
we get a life in return.

You can find out about our work
by emailing for information.
If you want to talk, you can call us
or we can call you. (Romania is
10 hours ahead of Los Angeles.)

email:
phone:
or:

mail@inbrate.ro
011 40 259 267-104
011 40 743 028-604

Visiting is easy—
assuming you call a 15-hour flight “easy”!

Staying to work 
requires a lot more paperwork.
But don't worry about it. We'll help you.

We have a “To Do” checklist to help you
keep track of what needs to be done.
You don’t want to come all this way
only to find out you can’t work!

Click on the thumbnail image that says
what you want to do: Visit or Work.
Print it out and make sure you
understand everything.

If you have any questions, just ask!