President Iohannis visits children at "Sfantul Stefan" home in Bucharest

President Klaus Iohannis paid a visit on Wednesday to the children at the "Sfantul Stefan" family home in Bucharest. 

"I was glad to meet today children of the 'Sfantul Stefan' family home in Bucharest, a model of center contributing to improving the conditions in which children from disfavoured categories live and study," Iohannis wrote on Facebook. 

The post is accompanied by photos of the President with the children. Labour Minister Violeta Alexandru also comes up in one photo. 

According to Iohannis, the visited center is a well-organised one, clean, cared for, which provides children housing, food, health monitoring, permanent supervision and support to successfully continue their studies in mass education units. The children were the President's 'guides', presented him the spaces they live in and where they carry out the education activities and sang Christmas carols, a Presidential Administration release reads. 

"Romania's President, constantly concerned with the situation of children in orphanages and family homes nationwide, reiterates on this occasion the support for de-institutionalisation and for replacing orphanages, and care homes with family homes, at the same time with ensuring some integrated services for children in risk situations," the release reads. 

President Iohannis supports the efforts of the public administration and the NGOs with activity in the area, contributing to the improvement of the conditions which the children of disfavoured categories live and learn, the release points out. 

"The living and personal development conditions provided by the 'Sf. Stefan' family home should represent normality which all children under risk situations must enjoy - both orphans and those whose parents don't have the necessary resources and capacity to support them," the release also reads. 

The center provides housing and ensure children the access, for a determined period, to care, education and training for family reintegration or integration and social inclusion. At present, 23 children, aged between 5 and 16, coming from families in risk situations, live at the center.