Ramona was perhaps the most challenging case of all the girls to come out of CP2. She had never received loving attention from anyone in her life, and it showed in her comportment. She lacked even the simplest of social graces and was always getting into trouble. Even when she attended a couple of our free computer and English classes, Ramona had not applied herself to learn anything.

Ramona had been abandoned at birth and never knew any relatives. When it came time for her to leave the institution she grew up in, she begged us to take her into the FAVOR Transitional Home. The director of the institution and their superiors all counseled us against this, as did our own common sense. But, after prayer, we felt led to give Ramona a chance. She had a dream of working with children. I told her that in order to do that, she would need at least a collegiate high-school degree. Ramona said she would go to night school for three years to obtain this, while working in a factory in the daytime, if we would take her in. No one really fully expected her to make this goal. But we told her that if she was determined, we would do all we could to help her make it. Over the next three years, Ramona learned to apply herself and reached her goal. There were many tests for us along the way also, as it seemed that her problems and needs for help would never cease.

After finishing night school, Ramona was offered work in Italy, where she has been caring for a baby and some elderly people for the past two years. She has kept in touch with us, phoning once in a while.One day, Ramona called to ask if I could help her find a room in Bacau. She said she'd been working very hard, and had saved up enough money to buy a little room. This was like a dream for a girl who had never had a place to call her own , and who no one had expected to achieve anything. We were really proud of her, knowing that she has had the inner strength to fight hard for a long time to reach this goal. But I didn't know if the money she had saved up would be sufficient for a room.

The first day I went out to search, I was led to a very small, but clean place, selling for just the amount she had saved up. What's more, it just came on the market that day! When the owners agreed to wait a few weeks for payment, I knew that this was the place . I was able to sign a pre-contract in Ramona’s name to secure the room for her, and a few weeks later she came to Bacau to finish everything.

Ramona told me, “I’m not going to live in this room. For now, I’ll give it to two of my friends from the orphanage. They can stay there for free.” It was wonderful to see how she, like many others who have benefited from the Transitional Home program, want to pass on the good that has been given to her. Ramona’s friends, who have really been struggling since leaving the placement center, could hardly believe that she was giving them this room to live in!

Ramona left with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, both from having worked to get a place of her own, and from being able to give it to her friends. And we at FAVOR were very happy to have been able to be a little part of it.

Ramona (holding cake) surrounded by members of the Katz family.