Ten years ago, the world had seen terrible pictures of famished, bewildered children in public institutions: the result of the Ceaucescu regime’s plan to double the country’s population by the year 2000. Unwanted children had been abandoned. They were placed in institutions, “sorted” by defects, intelligence and other criteria. The new government worked on solutions: “Housing Centres” opened their doors to young mothers and their babies all over the country. “Maternal assistants” were offered a decent salary to raise abandoned children within their own families - 25.000 children in the past years have thus known a home. Nevertheless, handicapped children all over the country still suffer from malnutrition and lack of care due to Romania’s severe economical problems. Without foreign help, the children will face an uncertain future.