As we come to the end of the first week, the Regent team spent a third day in the community, interacting with the Gypsy population in and around Oradea. Today proved to be one of the most challenging and in many ways the most rewarding day for many of the team members. The team was again split into four groups and went into four different areas of the community, meeting with a wide variety of people. The youth from the village of Gepiu benefitted from a presentation by Dr. Harris-Keyes on career and goal setting skills. Dr. Reese’s group conducted play therapy with the children at the Cihei family center and provided individual therapy and parenting skills with the mothers that attended. In the Gypsy village of Salard, Dr. Keyes’ team met with the families and provided them with basic household supplies, along with conducting individual and family therapy. R. LaVerne Washington’s team conducted a home visit with a family in Oradea, and also met with several homeless groups throughout the city that the Smiles Foundation staff has been in the process of working with and with whom they have built relationships.
While the teams were effective at their individual sites, it is clear that the extreme level of poverty is a constant struggle in the both the Romanian and Gypsy communities. The Regent team has worked this week to assist the Smiles Foundation staff in providing basic needs to the Gypsy population, while at the same time offering therapy skills while working to alleviate emotional concerns and increase basic coping skills. After a long week, the team is looking forward to having the weekend off to rest and recharge in preparation for next week.
--Jason Boling
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