Noreen’s Kids has been established to support the work of a truly exceptional Romanian charity run by Noreen O’Gorman. The Romanian charity is called Fundatia Cuvioasa Paraschiva or the foundation of St Paraschiva. It was established in the year 2000 since when it has been doing some amazing work in a very poor area of Romania.

Noreen is a retired Health Visitor who worked in London but became involved in Romania in 1998 after she retired. She now lives in Slobozia where she has dedicated herself entirely to the care of the sick and poor. Romania has no equivalent to health visitors and community care is a relatively new concept in the Romanian national health service.

In the late 1980’s just before the revolution many abandoned children were given blood transfusions in the mistaken idea that it would help with their “failure to thrive”. Unfortunately some of the blood was infected with HIV and/or hepatitis Altogether nearly 10,000 children over the whole country, particularly in some districts, were infected with HIV.

Slobozia and the surrounding area is one of the poorest regions of Romania - there were many children infected with HIV and there is still a huge need for support of poor families with children suffering from AIDS and other serious illnesses, including sometimes the provision of palliative care.

Noreen and her team have been making a real difference to the lives of hundreds of vulnerable Romanian families.

Noreen’s Kids was established to help with fundraising and this year we have registered as a U.K. charity eligible for gift aid.