In 2000, Leslie Hawke was assigned by the Peace Corps to Bacau, a city in northeast Romania, where she worked for the Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar, an NGO (Non Government Organization) with multiple social, medical and educational projects for disadvantaged groups. She was struck by the number of children who had slipped through the cracks of the social structure and were not enrolled in school and were on the streets, begging. Her friendship with one of these children, 8-year old Alex, led to a better understanding of the roots of the problem, and eventually to the launch of the long-term national initiative Fiecare Copil in Scoala – “Every Child in School” .

With a start-up grant from USAID in 2001, Hawke began a multi-pronged approach to successfully integrate severely disadvantaged children into the Romanian education system.  An enthusiastic group of associates back in the U.S. established The Alex Fund to help raise additional funding for the project Hawke envisioned. It continues to be directed by Wendy Phillips Kahn. The education program was designed by veteran teacher Maria Gheorghiu, who was trained in Head Start principles in the Soros-funded Step-by-Step program. The program welcomed formerly outcast children to school and supported them with supplies, health care and supplementary activities. Inspired by Hawke’s previous involvement with The New York based Doe Fund’s Ready, Willing and Able program, which integrates homeless men into society through job-training and social support, the Mother’s Program was established to help indigent mothers gain skills and find jobs so their children would be free to go to school. Much to the surprise of the local authorities, this approach worked.  Women came to training, their children and their children’s friends came to the education program, and Hawke and Gheorghiu’s ambitions grew, along with their awareness of how multi-faceted and entrenched the underlying problems were.

There were more USAID applications, and more grants, as their work spread to Bucharest and then to communities around the country. Hawke and Gheorghiu founded the Romanian NGO Asociatia Ovidiu Rom in 2004. Through Ovidiu Rom they introduced their methodology of door-to-door student recruitment and integrated services based in public schools.  They also trained hundreds of educators and social workers in progressive teaching methods and ways to successfully integrate disadvantaged children in the classroom.

The Alex Fund continues to be an important source of funding for the work carried out by Ovidiu Rom as well as funding to other Romanian NGOs and start-up projects. Training for teachers and social workers, educational materials for classrooms,  school supplies for children, as well as working to change mentality and public policy are all critical elements in ensuring that all children have the opportunity of an education to prepare them to self sufficiency in the 21^st century.

Awards

• “Second Place” in 2011 Citizen Award competition organized by Société Générale, for Fiecare Copil in Gradinita program
• Civil Society Gala’s award for Fiecare Copil in Gradinita program
• Civil Society Gala’s award for Pro TV & Ovidiu Rom – Partnership for Education

• Special mention in the “NGO of the Year” category of Dinu Patriciu Foundation’s second annual Education Awards
• Civil Society Gala award for Scoala te Face Mare public awareness campaign (May 20)
• Adopt-a-School initiative, People for People Gala (sponsored by ARC, BRD, and AmCham) – March 11

• Global Fund for Children’s “Sustainability Award”
• Scoala te face mare public awareness campaign, Civil Society Gala’s – May 20

• The Economist cites Ovidiu Rom as a “Model in developing successful community services for disadvantaged children” (June 21)

• “Best Practices in Programs Addressing Roma issues”, USAID
• “Corporate Social Responsibility Award”, Bucharest Business Week
• Roma Education Fund’s report, “Advancing Education of Roma in Romania” cites Ovidiu Rom as a leader in Roma educational policy development
• “Community Service and Children’s Rights”, Avon’s “Woman of the Year” award

• “Public Service Award” from Beau Monde and Pantene

• “Outstanding Citizenship Citation” to Leslie Hawke for the development of the Ready, Will and Capable programs, USAID

• “Special jury award” to Gata, Dispus, si Capabil program for NGO innovation, American Chamber of Commerce in Romania, at its first Corporate Social Responsibility Awards ceremony

• People Magazine’s “People First” Honorees commended for their contributions to the public good.

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