Like so many people growing up in poverty in Romania, Mihaela Ochisor, 35, never finished school. In rural areas, schools not only suffer from a lack of resources and teachers, but are too few and far between.
“I only went to school up to eighth grade,” Mihaela said. “Because I had to commute to the nearby town to get to school, my parents decided it would be better for me to stay at home and look after my younger siblings, even though I really wanted to continue my studies.”
Now Mihaela has three children of her own – and she and her husband Cezar, 44, work very hard in the hope their two sons and daughter will have a better life one day.
However, because Cezar earns low wages at his job at a pottery company, the Ochisors never have enough money.
The family’s house is located on a busy highway and Mihaela often worries for her children’s safety. Their home has no bathroom or hot water. The furniture is in poor condition, the windows aren’t sealed and there is no central heating.
Mihaela keeps herself busy at home caring for the children and the house, and tending to the large garden, where they grow corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and more.
Alin, 12, is the middle child, with an older brother, Cezar, 17, and a lively little sister, six- year-old Stefania. All three of them need school supplies. Although education is free in Romania, each child is expected to bring their own notebooks, pencils and colouring pens, maths equipment and more. The cost can be overwhelming for families living in poverty – and often, such children feel inadequate before the school year even begins because they don’t have the supplies they need.
Alin doing his homework with his new school supplies
Fortunately for Alin and his family, Mission Without Borders’s Back to School campaign sees children living in poverty equipped with backpacks and school supplies in time for their first day back at school.