Mana Deschisa

More clients....

2011-08-03T13:28:00.004+03:00

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April & May 2011....

2011-06-09T10:43:00.008+03:00

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Merry Christmas Everyone!

2010-12-23T14:55:00.001+02:00

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Our summer...

2010-09-15T11:23:00.040+03:00

Dear friends,

Thank you for checking our blog and keeping up with what is going on around here. We had another busy summer this year and we want to share with you a short update.

Certainly the climax of this summer was the party we organized on August 28th when over 200 friends and family members joined us to celebrate Mana Deschisa's 10th Anniversary! It was a beautiful day with lots of nice memories.

The program was diverse and among others it included a worship time, a short presentation about Mana Deschisa's history, a time of appreciation, lunch, and sports activities. The most catching part was when former and current clients shared their personal testimonies. We were encouraged to hear from them how they have changed and how this ministry has had an impact on their lives.

Most of all we want to praise the Lord and give Him the honor for everything He has done so far. We acknowledge that everything we have done has been through His grace and power. We want to say a big THANK-YOU to everyone for accompanying us on this journey, for being a constant encouragement to us, for supporting us and being there for us in times of need and when we encountered difficulties.

Here are a few pictures from the party and the intense days of preparation before it.

Adina working on the hand-made banner
Putting up the banner
Sara and Georgiana working on the cakes
Sara cooking the chicken
Food supplies for the party
Guys putting up a tent
Jurjen, Mats and Vasilica building up the stage
Sara and Gigi constructing a Foosball field

Our students presenting a gift to Marshall and Larisa
The worship team

Leon (board member of Mana Deschisa Romania), Cristian (Norwegian journalist) and Frank (board member of Mana Deschisa Holland)

Sjaak, board member of Mana Deschisa Holland, sharing a few words about Mana Deschisa Romania
Victoria sharing her testimony
Nelus sharing his testimony
A mother sharing her testimony about being the parent of a drug addict
The cake

The top of the cake
May God be praised forever!

Leon, one of our board members, performing a song for the audience

September 7th will always be a day to remember for Mihaela, as this was the day when she graduated our program. Staff and students celebrated with her this great achievement. She is very happy to have finished our 14 step program. She rejoices being back to school again and living with the McKennas for now. We are very proud of her and we are grateful that she had the desire to work hard to make such progress, as we know it hasn’t been an easy journey.

All summer long the girls worked hard on our garden and two greenhouses and now, in the beginning of the fall, we are able to enjoy the harvest. Most of the vegetables are already canned and preserved for winter.

Vegetables from our garden

Our greenhouse
Adina preparing jam

The McKennas were able to enjoy a nice holiday this year in Croatia with the family.
Nikita has just started her first year of school.

We are continually getting requests from homeless people and others struggling with addictions. Some of our students are now involved in an outreach program of going to the streets and the detox hospital in Bucharest encouraging others to join the program. They feel like they have something to offer now seeing how their lives have been changed.

Please consider supporting us financially or contributing in other ways as we continue in our desire to help even more people.

Thank you!

~ Mana Deschisa Team ~

Hello everyone!

2010-05-21T21:34:00.006+03:00

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Nancy Thomas Conference

2010-02-19T13:32:00.008+02:00

February 3 - 6, 2010

February started out full speed ahead for Mana Deschisa. The arrival of Nancy Thomas jump started this month for us in the most pleasant way. After waiting two long years since we first invited Nancy to come to Mana Deschisa the time was finally here.

Monday evening we planned a welcome dinner for Nancy and Connie (her 18 year old daughter) to introduce them to the Mana Deschisa team that would be involved in organizing the conference and discuss the plans for their stay in Romania.

That Wednesday evening we gathered together for our first session of the conference. Together with 60 of Romania's finest workers we opened up the seminar with a time of getting to know each other. There were 15 different non-profit organizations represented within the group and hearts were open and expectant!

For the next three days Nancy taught in an enthusiastic and humorous way how to reach the hearts of deeply wounded children and youth affected by abuse and abandonment during their early years. Her methods offered new and useful tools that we could directly apply to working with our clients, children and the youth in our care. An evening was set aside strictly for questions and answers. Her 35 years of insight and experience in working with people suffering from Attachment Disorder was put to the test with loads of questions from our thirsty group. Many people received practical answers to their questions and were anxious to get back to their organizations or homes to "try" them out.

After the conference finished we were delighted to read the feedback forms that the participants filled out before they left. We had a unanimous response from the group that they were very encouraged and recharged from Nancy's teaching, and they were very pleased with the Mana Deschisa team. We received a positive "yes" from each person attending that they were interested in another conference by Nancy and/or any other conference hosted by Mana Deschisa. It was such an encouragement to Nancy and our team. All the hard work and planning was worth it! We look forward to working in the future with Nancy. We'll keep you posted!

Participants discussing with Nancy during break time

Nancy congratulating one of the interpreters

Larisa (left) and Violeta (right)

A small group of participants

Happy New Year!

2010-01-11T21:29:00.006+02:00

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Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T23:17:00.004+02:00

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IWA Christmas Bazaar 2009

2009-12-16T02:40:00.010+02:00

This year we were given the opportunity to attend the Christmas Bazaar 2009 organized by the International Women's Association in Bucharest (IWA) on December 13th. 32 countries and 12 different NGOs participated in this event and it came out to be a great success. We were able to set up a stand with candles crafted by our students and raise some money by selling them. We had lots of fun and enjoyed being there!

Setting up a day before... Thinking about how to make things look better... Our stand... Our team... The stand of Pakistan... Chinese cooks preparing goodies...Irish Dance performed during entertainment program...

Invitation to seminar about Attachment Disorder

2009-10-08T09:37:00.005+03:00

Dear friends & colleagues,

Mana Deschisa is happy to announce a 4 day seminar on Attachment Disorder offered by Nancy Thomas this coming Feb 2010. For those of you who work at non-profit organizations, in the field of social work, teaching, counseling, foster parent, or have adopted children this is the course for you!

Nancy Thomas has over 20 years of experience working with children and teenagers who suffer from attachment difficulties all the way to Attachment Disorder. She is an experienced "therapeutic mom" who has successfully worked with numerous youth who were considered irrecoverable and helped them heal, re-build trust and return to their families.

Nancy's teaching style is very practical and covers topics related to healthy and unhealthy attachments formed from conception to 36 months of age. She focuses on re-establishing trust which was lost due to breakdowns in relationships, abuse or traumas experienced in early childhood (conception-36 mo). She also offers a clear, basic understanding of the signs and symptoms of Attachment Disorder and teaches steps on how to re-create the bonding experience. You can access her website at www.attachment.org for more information about her and the kind of training she offers.

The seminar will take place on Feb 3-6, 2010 in Campina, Prahova. The total cost for this event will be 650.00RON which includes a seminar fee (400.00 RON), housing for 3 nights (100.00RON), and food (150.00Ron). We ask that you contact us asap if you are interested in attending. Payment of the seminar fee is expected by NOV 16th 2009 to secure your spot. All other fees can be paid upon arrival. For confirmation or any questions related to the seminar, fees or payments, please contact us at Mana Deschisa at (0244) 376.580 or manadeschisa@yahoo.com. We hope that over the next few months we'll be able to reduce the costs of the seminar via fundraising. We will keep you updated you on any changes.

We are looking forward to hearing from you and we're excited that together we can take part in this event and become more equipped to fight the problem of attachment disorder in Romania.

Many blessings!

The Mana Deschisa Team

Dragi prieteni si colegi,

Mana Deschisa are placerea sa va anunte organizarea unui seminar de 4 zile despre Tulburare Reactiva de Atasament, oferit de Nancy Thomas in Februarie 2010. Pentru cei care lucrati in organizatii non-profit, in domeniul asistentei sociale, predare, consiliere, asistent maternal, sau ati adoptat copii, acest curs este pentru voi!

Nancy Thomas are o experienta de peste 20 de ani, lucrand cu copii si adolescenti ce prezinta dificultati de atasare pana la tulburare de atasament. Este „mama terapeut” cu experienta, care a lucrat cu succes cu numerosi tineri ce erau considerati iremediabili si i-a ajutat sa se vindece, recladindu-le increderea si redandu-i familiilor lor.

Stilul de predare al lui Nancy este foarte practic si acopera subiecte legate de atasamente sanatoase si nesanatoase formate din momentul conceptiei pana la 36 de luni. Ea se concentreaza asupra restabilirii increderii care a fost pierduta datorita relatiilor esuate, abuzuri sau traume experimentate la inceputul copilariei (conceptie – 36 luni). De asemenea, ea ofera o intelegere clara si de baza a semnelor si simptomelor tulburarii de atasament si preda pasi despre cum sa re-creezi experienta legaturii. Pentru mai multe informatii despre ea si pregatirea pe care o ofera, puteti accesa pagina ei de web la www.attachment.org.

Seminarul va avea loc in Campina, Prahova intre 3-6 Februarie, 2010. Costul total pentru acest eveniment va fi de 650.00 RON care include o taxa de seminar (400.00 RON), cazare pentru 3 nopti (100.00 RON), si mese (150.00 RON). Va rugam sa ne contactati cat mai curand posibil daca sunteti interesati sa participati. Taxa de seminar trebuie achitata pana la 16 Noiembrie 2009 pentru a va asigura locul. Toate celelalte taxe pot fi platite in ziua sosirii la seminar. Pentru confirmare si intrebari legate de seminar, taxe si plati, va rugam sa ne contactati la Mana Deschisa la 0244-376580 sau manadeschisa@yahoo.com. Speram ca in decursul urmatoarelor luni sa putem reduce costurile seminarului prin strangeri de fonduri. Va vom tine la curent daca apar modificari.

Asteptam cu nerabdare sa primim raspuns de la voi si suntem incantati ca impreuna putem participa la acest eveniment si ne putem echipa mai mult pentru a lupta impotriva problemei tulburarii de atasament din Romania.

Multe binecuvantari!

Echipa Mana Deschisa

The construction goes on...

2009-09-22T11:47:00.006+03:00

Last week we continued the work on the new therapeutic home. We worked on the last little details in each room in the top apartment, we put the lights on and we bought some furniture. We also made the connections to the sewage system.

Congratulations Bogdan!

2009-09-15T15:35:00.004+03:00

September 13, 2009 will always be a nice day for Bogdan to remember. It is the day when he was baptized. We are so proud of him that he decided to make this step. Please continue to have him in your prayers.

2009-09-03T10:45:00.022+03:00

Dear friends, family and supporters,

Since the last update you received from us, we were blessed to have had a short break. We spent two weeks in Holland connecting with family, friends and supporters. We arrived back safely in Romania at the end of July, refreshed and some kilos heavier :). We were ready for another busy period that was just about to start.

Within the ministry...

Thanks to Ioana and the rest of our team the work continued well. Here are some of the happenings from the last period:

Nelus has faced his challenge and finally moved into the rehab phase. Three days a week he is helping at the organization, trying to be an example and encourage the newer students.

Loredana, who was with us several years ago, is back again. She is receiving help five days a week and becoming part of our community again.

Unfortunately, things didn't work out with the therapeutic couple we hired a few months ago and we asked them to leave. Because of this we had to find others to cover their shifts. Bogdan, who came to us four years ago and went through the program, is now a blessing to the ministry by helping out with the night shifts.

Sara gave birth to a healthy boy named Jonah. Both Sara and Gigi have decided to take off for a while to focus on the family.

We have been blessed with a great harvest from our own greenhouse. The students have been making lots of preparations to preserve vegetables for the winter season.

Greater Europe Mission team did a great job putting in the floors on the top level of the new therapeutic home.

The group from Tholen - Holland did a wonderful job painting the fence around the new property.

Thanks to the Timken Foundation we were able to purchase a new 9 seat van.

The work at our new therapeutic home has advanced. Below you may find some pictures with the central heating units (running on wood), floor heating and other items we purchased and were delivered.

Please pray together with us for:

finding a new therapeutic couple;
strength and health for the team;
finances and operational budget;
Bogdan's health. Just recently he went for more medical tests. The doctors basically came down to the conclusion that he is suffering of liver cirrhosis and needs a liver transplant. He was able to sign up on a waiting list at one hospital in Bucharest. However we don't think this is going to be sorted out too soon. Therefore we are looking into options elsewhere. We think it would be good for him to repeat the medical tests and get the opinion of a foreign specialist, considering we heard completely different opinions from Romanian doctors over the last few years about his case. If you or someone that you know could help out in this case, please contact us.

We want to thank all of you for your support to us. May God bless you!

Marshall and Larisa

Are you interested in a parenting challenge?

2009-09-02T11:33:00.003+03:00

Below you may find some information about what we are looking for in a therapeutic couple.

Asociatia Mana Deschisa is a Christian rehabilitation center that revitalizes the homeless and hopeless youth of Romania. Our center is based in Campina, Romania.

Our therapy program is designed for teenagers and young adults from the streets, orphanages, prisons or difficult family situations which suffer from the long-term effects of mal-treatment and abandonment experienced early in life, who face or deal with one or more of the following problems: attachment difficulties that may lead to attachment disorder (the main problem); trauma of abuse (physical, sexual or verbal); depressions; addiction; etc.

During the long-term treatment, our clients are hosted in a therapeutic environment where we try to create a family setting. Therefore, we are looking for couples who are willing to live here and work together with us as “therapeutic parents” to our clients.

Most important characteristics and skills:

Be firm and at the same time compassionate
Good basic parenting skills
Having a strong marriage and parenting partnership (working well together, compromising, supporting and communicating well)
Being aware of how prior family-of-origin issues influence their parenting attitudes and practices, marital relationships and current psycho-social functioning
Resolution of own childhood pain
Being organized, structured and consistence
High degree of patience and being flexible
Having a good sense of humor
Being creative
Well grounded, stable and mature emotionally and spiritually

Preferences:

Couples who have already raised children successfully and are still young enough to parent again
Couples with no children
Studies in the areas of teaching, medicine or social services
Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
Drivers license

Tasks:

Meeting the client’s basic daily needs (food, warmth, relaxing time, etc.);
Taking care of practical issues (police, doctor, school, etc.);
Creating a healing environment (positive atmosphere, encouragement and guidance, etc.);
Providing clear and consistent structure (a structure creates a feeling of safety and security);
Communicating effectively and good collaboration with therapist;
Providing consequences rather than punishments;
Identifying units of concern;
Instilling the basics regarding respect, setting limits, teaching self-control and responsibility.

If you are interested, please send us an email at manadeschisa@yahoo.com, ATTN: parenting couple.
Thank you!

Florin and Nicoleta's story

2009-09-01T15:32:00.005+03:00

“Hello, our names are Florin and Nicoleta Dulgheru. We were both former students at Mana Deschisa and we desire to share with you a bit about our lives and how God has taken care of us.

I, Florin, come from a family of 5 children. As long as I can remember my parents were both alcoholics, and as a result, we (the children) lacked in many areas of our lives. Because of all the fighting at home, I decided to leave. I went to Bucharest where I tried to find a job and a place to stay, but it wasn’t easy. Finally through the workers of a street center from City of Hope, I arrived in Campina at Mana Deschisa. I went back to school, learned to work and prepared myself for the future. It wasn’t always easy and I didn’t always understand everything at that time, but now I see why it was good for me.

I, Nicoleta, come from a family of 8 children, besides the 20 abortions my mom had. We lived in Bucharest in very poor conditions. As well in my family there were problems with alcohol and abuse. For food, medical help, clothing and some fun, my siblings and I would go to the street center of City of Hope. There I met Marshall and Larisa McKenna. They also visited us at our home several times. I desired to live a different life and they offered to take me to Campina. Through the help of Mana Deschisa I learned to mature, have patience and prepare myself for the future.

Then I met Florin. By then he had already finished the program at Mana Deschisa, but was being helped by a job with cutting lumber. We became food friends and after a year and a half we decided to get married.

After a while we rejoiced over our first baby girl named Marisa. Unfortunately the joy was very short, as from birth the doctors told us she probably wouldn’t live very long. After birth we went from one hospital to another, hoping she would get better. That didn’t happen and 10 months after birth, Marisa’s heart gave up. This was very hard to accept and give it a place in our lives. But God made us rejoice again! About 2 years later, we had a new baby boy named David, born April 22, 2009.

In 2006 we had received a piece of land from the town hall of Campina, for new married couples. By the help of God and many special people around us, we have been able to build a house there.

We are thankful to God for all the joys He has given us but also for all the hardships that have helped me and Florin to grow stronger and stay close to Him and the people He has given around us. We are thankful for all that Mana Deschisa has taught us, for their support and help. We believe God has given us a new future through Mana Deschisa. They gave a fishing rod and taught us how to fish instead of giving just the fish. Now we can appreciate and rejoice in what we are and what we have!”

Victoria's story

2009-09-01T15:25:00.007+03:00

My name is Victoria, and I am a 26 year old single mother. My 2 year old daughter Naomi and I have been living at Mana Deschisa for the past year and a half. I chose to come to this program in order to give us a chance at a future. I want to give Naomi a better life then I had. My childhood began and continued at a State orphanage, with over 200 children, where I was placed after birth. I lived there in terrible conditions and suffered abuse. As a teenager I struggled to stay in an occupational high school. Without the support of parents or social workers I was able to complete all 12 grades but I didn’t receive a diploma because I failed my final exams. After leaving school I was sent out on my own to start my “life” in the real world. My early twenties were spent drifting from youth hostels, friend’s houses and eventually ending up on the streets of Bucharest. There I was raped by a highschool “friend” and conceived my daughter Naomi. The months that I was pregnant were a struggle. I ended up in hospital ready to give birth and I didn’t even have a place to live. Someone contacted an organization in Bucharest that worked with single mothers and their babies. After a difficult birth Naomi and I were accepted directly from the hospital to move into “Casa Agar” a group home for Mothers and babies. I was so afraid at first to even touch my baby that it was a good month before I would even want to hold her. With the help of the workers at Casa Agar I learned to take care of Naomi and began to make a fresh start. After 9 months, my time at Casa Agar expired and they were a great help in directing and arranging our move to Mana Deschisa. Today we are living in at Mana Deschisa with the hopes of a better future!

Bogdan's story

2009-09-01T12:57:00.012+03:00

My name is Bogdan and was born on August 23, 1986. As a little boy of 3 months, I was abandoned by both parents and went to live in a state orphanage. I changed orphanages several times up to the age of 13 years old. Finally I had enough of it and decided to go live on the streets to control my own life. At the age of 15 I was caught for stealing and ended up in a juvenile prison. From there I went to Mana Deschisa. I was happy to be free but struggled with the idea to following someone else's rules again. So, at 18 years old I found myself with no family, no education, chronically ill, very hyper and without any direction in life. Now four years later after a lot of struggles and hard work, I am doing much better. I have learned a lot, I am back at school, and I got my drivers license. Now I can actually sit still without being hyper all the time. As for my illness, yes I am still sick, but I have seen how God has helped me to feel very good physically so I can continue making my dreams come true little by little!

Diagnosing attachment disorder

2009-08-28T10:10:00.004+03:00

Attachment is a unique, lasting emotional tie between two people. It is often referred to as the bond between an infant and his mother. All children develop an attachment to their parent(s) or primary caretaker regardless if the parent is caring, loving, abusive, or cold. This attachment will determine if an individual will develop a secure/healthy attachment or an insecure/unhealthy one. The only exception is children who have grown up without their parents or one specific caretaker (i.e. children in orphanages) who have not had the opportunity to develop an attachment. This group has an even higher risk of RAD (reactive attachment disorder).[i]

There are many individuals who have attachment difficulties because of insecure attachments that have developed in early years of life. Attachment difficulties are described as the condition in which individuals have trouble forming loving, lasting intimate relationships. However not everyone with an insecure/unhealthy attachment is diagnosed with attachment disorder and not everyone who has difficulties with attachment needs professional help. The term attachment disorder is used for individuals who show a nearly complete lack of ability to be genuinely affectionate with others, who have not developed a conscience and have not learned to trust. Attachment disorders may vary in severity.

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) requires the following criteria in diagnosing individuals with RAD:

having disturbed and developmentally inappropriate social relationships beginning before 5 years of age;

an individual fails to respond to or initiate social interactions, or is being inappropriately friendly and familiar with strangers;

recognizing at least one of the causes of RAD in a person’s life.

At our center we also use a checklist of symptoms for RAD individuals (listed by Dr. Foster Cline) in the help of coming to a correct diagnosis for our clients.
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[i] http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/centers/child/eca/Attachment/

Symptoms of attachment disorder

2009-08-28T10:07:00.002+03:00

Act superficial and phony, especially around strangers or people they feel they can manipulate in order to be in control.
Avoid eye contact especially with people that care for them unless they are lying or conning, then they make excellent eye contact.
Indiscriminately affectionate with strangers. They do not go through the healthy stranger anxiety period as others go through. They will hug strangers and anyone they feel they can get on their side.
Lack ability to feel real, from their heart, caring. Giving and receiving affection is not possible without trust. These kids are not cuddly (stiff hugs).
Extreme control problems. They want to do things their way!
They leave a trail of destruction with other kids, pets and even their own body.
Lying is a dedicated hobby. They often become masters at crazy, twisted stories.
Impulsiveness is common. They see something and they want it. They will steal it or do it.
Learning lags and disorders are created by the agitated emotional state they are constantly in as well as an inability to do it the teacher’s way (that requires trusting that the teacher’s way is the right way).
Cause and effect thinking is learned during the first year. They cry, mom comes, and things get fixed. The broken cycle creates the problem of not putting together – I run in the road, a car comes, I die. They don’t get this.
Not having developed a conscience. They can kick a dog and it makes them feel powerful. Strangling a cat, because they have no empathy for living things, is just something interesting to do.
They often have abnormal eating patterns: starving or gorging.
They are loners. Others don’t want to be their friends because of their need to control, their lack of conscience and their cruelty to others.
The infantile rage they often internalized that first year makes them fascinated with destruction, fire, blood, gore and evil.
Normal people talk for two reasons: to communicate thoughts or feelings. Attachment disordered persons talk for three reasons: to interrupt, make noise or control. They do not use language to connect. They use it to manipulate and play games. Nonsense questions pop out all the time.
They can be inappropriately demanding and clingy, usually to be “cute” for strangers or to get what they want.
Abnormal speech patters. Normally, verbal communication starts with hearing the pattern of our birth mother’s voice, which we seek when we are born. They have you saying “What?” all the time because they refuse to speak clearly. When you speak they say “What?”. They are not interested in learning communication skills.
These people love to tell lies about alleged abuse to authorities by the people who care for them. It makes them feel powerful when they are believed.
Having adults united on one team is very threatening to them because they do not trust. In order to be in control they divide and conquer by pitting one adult against the other. This is called triangulation.
Parents or caretakers of attachment disorder children often appear unreasonably angry. The more they try to love their child, the more pain the child dishes out to get them to stop. The child believes love hurts, as it did when his heart was broken as an infant.

What causes attachment disorder

2009-08-28T10:03:00.005+03:00

Any of the following conditions occurring to a child under 3 years of age puts a child at high risk for attachment disorder:

physical, emotional or sexual abuse

neglect

sudden separation from primary caretaker

inadequate day care or change of day care provider

undiagnosed or painful illness

chronic maternal depression

several moves and/or placements (foster care, orphanages or failed adoption)

unprepared mothers with poor parenting skills

drug / alcohol exposure during pregnancy.

These situations can cause the child to “shut down” and not develop the ability to trust, love or care.

The first year of life
The human infant is the most helpless and hopeless of any living thing born. When they have a need, such as food, warmth, touch or pain relief, they cry for help. The cry they use quickly turns into rage as the child, in his helpless, hopeless state, has an honest fear of dying if needs are not met. The baby’s cries for help when met correctly with eye contact, touch, smiles, movement and basic nutrition, leads to trust and bonding. This basic trust is the beginning of the development of a conscience. Conscience is what helps us choose right from wrong, what helps us to care about others’ feelings and stops us from hurting or killing each other. Without trust you can not love.

The second year of life
The focus of the second year should be on setting limits. An effective parent sets limits by saying “No” and meaning it. The bonded child with adequate conscience development sees the displeasure in the parent’s eyes, stops what it was doing and then sees pleasure in the parent’s eyes. This is how children learn to accept limits. The toddler earns more freedom and autonomy by accepting limits. This teaches the child to control themselves and obey the rules of society. When the first year cycle has broken down it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to set limits and have the child accept them because they do not trust.

What is attachment disorder

2009-08-28T10:02:00.002+03:00

It is defined as the condition in which individuals have difficulty forming lasting relationships. They often show nearly a complete lack of ability to be genuinely affectionate with others. They typically have failed to develop a conscience and have not learned to trust. They do not allow people to be in control of them due to this trust issue.

How to join the program

2009-08-28T09:56:00.003+03:00

The program starts with a detailed evaluation of each person wanting to join our program. This is done with the help of several intake conversations, which include gathering information about social history, previous treatments, medical history, etc. These conversations are done with the help of skilled professionals before diagnosing and determining the intensity level of treatment. It is recommended that the client is accompanied by another individual, who will follow up and help the client along the treatment.

2009-08-28T09:53:00.007+03:00

The types of problems we see in the youngsters who join our program are mainly the result of breaks in attachment that occurred within the first three years of their life, which interfered with normal developmental processes, such as: the ability to trust, to bond, to develop a conscience, to accept limits and have self-control. Their behavior is often unusual and may be described as agitated, confused, hyper, superficial, manipulative, resistant, oppositional, angry, cruel, violent, destructive, dependent, anxious, helpless and hopeless. Lasting behavioral improvement is likely to occur only after underlying attachment, trauma and developmental issues are addressed.

What we offer...

2009-08-28T09:42:00.003+03:00

meeting the client’s basic daily needs (food, warmth, relaxing time, etc.);

creating a healing environment (positive atmosphere, encouragement and guidance, etc);

providing clear and consistent structure (a structure creates a feeling of safety and security);

communicating effectively;

using consequences rather than punishments;

instilling the basics regarding respect, setting limits, teaching self-control and responsibility;

individual and group counseling;

work projects.

The goals of treatment for our clients

2009-08-28T09:41:00.004+03:00

resolving dysfunctional attachments and developing healthy attachments with the ability to trust, to give and receive love and affection. Being able to build healthy relationships;

bringing positive change to unhealthy thinking patterns and destructive behaviors;

learning to identify, manage and express feelings and emotions in a healthy manner;

being able to manage a conflict and resolve problems; building a positive self-image;

developing personal, social, and moral values as well as the self-discipline and self-control necessary to function successfully in society;

being able to respect others and accept their differences;

developing the capacity for joy and positive meaning in life;

healing from emotional wounds;preparing for the real world;

being respectful, responsible and fun to be around;

hopefully having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Types of treatment

2009-08-28T09:38:00.004+03:00

outpatient treatment (receiving one therapy session per week or every two weeks);

short-term treatment (this is still being finalized);

long-term treatment (being placed into a therapeutic living environment approximately one month of therapy per year of life (i.e. 20 years old means 20 months of treatment).

Therapy Program

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Our therapy program is designed for teenagers and adults from the streets, orphanages, prisons or difficult family situations which suffer from the long-term effects of mal-treatment and abandonment experienced early in life, who face or deal with one or more of the following problems:

attachment difficulties that may lead to attachment disorder (the main problem);

trauma of abuse (physical, sexual or verbal);

depressions;

addiction;

post-traumatic stress;

eating disorders;

sleep disorders;

anti-social personalities;

other.

How we started...

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In 1996, Marshall McKenna, a civil engineer from South Africa, joined a team, and worked together for four and a half years among the street children and teenagers of Bucharest. They mainly focused on an area nearby the North train station, working out of a day center that provided help and social assistance. A period of intense and challenging experiences followed - the team was exposed to pain, death, and suffering. At the same time they realized they had to do more for those people.
In the summer of 2000, Marshall, together with another social worker, established a community in Campina. With the help of some generous donations, within a year they bought 3 houses where the first ”students” were taken in and hosted by Mana Deschisa ministry. This is how the ministry of “Mana Deschisa”, a Christian Community Rehabilitation center for youngsters, adults and families started.

Before 1989...

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During the communist period, under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania was subdued by a dreadful regime. The strained stimulation of population growth represented one of the priorities of Ceausescu’s regime. An important element of this policy was the prohibition of abortion and contraceptive methods. While population growth was encouraged, thousands of children were abandoned in orphanages and the child mortality rate became the highest in Europe. As a result, in post-communist Romania, there are still many “street children”, coming from the former communist orphanages, children who have grown up and not integrated into society.

Our commitment to Christian values

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We, the board and employees of Mana Deschisa are all Christians from various denominations. We realize that we are called by God to dedicate ourselves to this ministry. Despite our professional qualifications and experience we recognize that we are limited in our ability to care for our clients and we believe that they can receive deeper healing by establishing a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Our clients are free to examine our faith if they are interested. The decision to live a life dedicated to Christ has to be a free choice taken only by the individual. We do expect the clients to have respect for times of prayer, Bible studies, or church services on Sundays as part of our Christian based program.

Mission statement

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Our mission is to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the work of Mana Deschisa in helping revitalize the homeless and helpless youth of Romania. We accept teens from the streets, orphanages, prisons or difficult family situations. Our goal is to introduce them back into society, healthier in relationships, prepared for work, having assumed responsibility for their lives and hopefully having a relationship with God.

Welcome

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Asociatia Mana Deschisa is a Christian rehabilitation center that revitalizes the homeless and hopeless youth of Romania.
Our center is based in Campina, a small town surrounded by hills and approximately 100 km north of the capital city Bucharest.
On our blog we invite you to get acquainted with Mana Deschisa.