LIGHT INTO EUROPE

OUR MISSION

We share the vision of a world in which blind and deaf people in Romania enjoy the same rights, opportunities, responsibilities, fulfilment and quality of life as their able-bodied peers.

OUR OBJECTIVES

We aim to support Romanian people with a visual or hearing impairment to improve their lives, to expand their possibilities and to become active and accepted members of the Romanian society.

We aim to achieve our Mission & Objectives through:‍

• Changing the attitudes and social behavior towards blind and deaf people
• Being a catalyst for social and professional inclusion of the blind and deaf people
• Encouraging better education, training and employment of blind and deaf individuals in Romania.
• Providing educational support services to the schools for sensory impaired and families with sensory impaired children from our resource center
• Promoting accessible information and equipment
• Developing integrated programs on early intervention and employment support

VALUES

We aim to achieve our Mission & Objectives by following our values

• Respect and dignity for the individual
• Making a positive difference to people
• Participation and empowerment
• Aiming for equality

HISTORY

Light into Europe is a British-Romanian charity founded in 1986 and which has been active in Romania since 1990. From 1997 to 2003 Light into Europe was invited by the Ministry of Health to be the sole provider of Air Ambulance services, saving 900 lives over 4000 flying hours. In 2003, the Air Ambulance service was handed over to SMURD.

Since 2003, the focus of Light into Europe has been on supporting blind and deaf people in Romania and developing services to support them to be able to live independent lives as part of the community. In 2007 we opened our Resource Centre for the Sensory Impaired which hosts our Guide Dog Centre, Braille Library and Big Print Book production as well our creative education work shops.

In 2010 we successfully trained and matched our 1st Guide Dog for the Blind, Chloe with Gabi Nicolescu. Since this time we have trained and expanded the programme to support more visually impaired around the country and also provided assistance dogs to children with autism and persons with epilepsy.

OUR BOARD

Light into Europe is led by a group of highly qualified professionals that bring a wealth of expertise, all of whom are bound together by their commitment to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities in Romania and making a long-lasting difference to the lives of children and adults that live with sight or hearing loss.

HMA Giles Portman, Patron

Stan Platt, OBE, Chairman

Lucian Mindruta, Board Member

Mihai Andreescu, Board member

Sean Dilley, Board member