Last Thursday, before going to the Ci-ghid orphanage I googled it. I wouldn’t recommend it. What I found was a heart breaking video from 1990, soon after the fall of the communist government in Romania. The film was shot by a German news crew when they found babies and small children in horrible conditions. Soon after this a German doctor came and made many changes to the orphanage. German families raised money and cottages where built for the children. The main building was used as a school. MBK got involved with Ci-ghid in the early 1990’s and has developed a great relationship with the children and staff there.

The open space for the kids to play. Here are 2 boys taking a walk with the dogs.
When I was looking on the Internet for information about Ci-ghid, I found nothing nice said about the current program there. Its clean and the children are well treated. The staff loves the children. So, after doing a craft project with about 22 children, I wanted to get a better look around the place. “Geta” and “Sandi” took me on a tour of the property, something I had never really done. We walked around the buildings: a small shop for the children, laundry facilities, 3 cottages for the kids, a small house for some of the girls, an activity building with therapy and doctor’s office, and the old big house.

The house where my tour guides live
During the tour with “Geta” and “Sandi”, “Geta” told me she never lived in the big house, but that “Sandi” had when she was little. We looked through windows because the building was locked. This big house was original a manor house owned by a Hungarian Family. After it was confiscated by the communist, it was used as a hunting/sports lodge and training ground, then a TB sanitarium, then a retirement hospital. In about 1986, handicapped children were sent there with the elderly patients. Two years later the elderly patients were removed and it became a full time hospital/orphanage for abandoned handicapped children.

The main house.
One of my favorite features of Ci-ghid is this tree turn art project that one of the boys has been making for years. Every time I visit there is more on the tree. He ties trash to the tree. I love it!

A very large art project.
I can hardly wait to visit with the children and staff at Ci-ghid again in the summer. In the meantime, please pray for the children and the staff. Specifically, please pray for the children who have recently showed some interest in Jesus.
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