Romania

The COVID-19 crisis and the months-long restrictions imposed in Romania beginning in March 2020 hit rural schools and students hardest. About 40% of students from disadvantaged communities didn’t attend online classes, mostly due to lack of resources like internet or a place to study. Systemic poverty, a structural imbalance in school funding, and a general lack of preparedness for online education compounded kids’ learning struggles. About 60% of parents didn’t work at all during the lockdown months, since much of the work in the countryside is day laboring — the first jobs to disappear when the pandemic hit. Also, Romania’s healthcare system was overwhelmed by the disruptions in care, and the logistics of vaccine delivery in rural areas pose significant challenges: Decades of underinvestment have left entire communities with limited access to doctors or health facilities. Thanks to strong educational support from World Vision, 94% of our sponsored high school seniors passed their graduation exams, and 4,000 sponsored children made up missed classes through summer programs. Partnering with the government, we’re helping rural families we serve overcome barriers to vaccine access.