Established to make a Smile  -  Developed to make an Impact!

In 1990 – just months after the fall of Ceausescu in Romania – the Smiles Foundation’s founders, Kevin Hoy and Nia Jones visited State orphanages in several major cities of Romania . Of the thousands of children seen, one common observation was noted with them all – a total lack of Smiles.

Founders Hoy and Jones vowed to return to Romania to make a Smile appear on the faces of children and parents struggling for life within this impoverished nation.

After several years of regular visits to Romania , supported by many from the UK and America who were providing significant ‘aid’ for distribution and funding for several ongoing projects, Hoy and Jones decided to establish an official Charity - The Smiles Foundation. They and an army of like-minded people began the work to help bring, once again, Smiles to the Romanian people.

Established first as a ‘charitable club’, the Smiles Club became a fully approved Charity in the late 90’s in the United Kingdom , America and Romania itself.

The Charity seeks to relieve poverty, promote education and provide ‘hope & opportunity’ for many through a variety of projects including ‘Food Distribution’, ‘Medical Support’, ‘Social Assistance’, ‘Education’ and ‘Housing provision’. Planned for the immediate future is an Emergency Housing Unit in Mirlou (providing shelter for evicted families pending placement in a Smiles House), in Cihei, the Charity’s Headquarters, a Housing & Care facility for Abandoned Children aged birth through 6 years and a Day Centre in Gepiu to provide care, education and outreach to young people unable to attend regular school. All should be operating by the end of 2005.

In the medium term, within 3 years, the Foundation plans to build at our Cihei site, an Assisted Living style home for the Elderly –a facility for mothers with newborns, unable to care for them, and thereby avoid institutionalising the children. Then in Tileagd, the building of a major complex incorporating a new School for up to 200 children, a Medical Clinic serving a least 100 families and a Community Centre for social and cultural activities. This will also be the site of the Charity’s first Church Build – anticipated to open late 2006. The Foundation has also purchased land in the Mountains at Boga where a Retreat Centre is planned.

The Smiles Foundation – its Board of Trustees and thousands of supporters around the world are motivated by a strong Christian faith and its teachings to help the poor and look after widows and orphans.

Today the Foundation has a Family Care project with Food boxes costing £20 / $30 delivered each and every month to more than 200 families.

The Foundation built, equipped and operates the Tileagd Community School for nearly 70 Gypsy children, many experiencing education for the first time in their lives. The dedicated staff of 13 with both Romanian and Gypsies working side by side, provide an excellent environment in which the children can learn. The School also provides Bathroom and Showers for the children who have no sanitation or running water in their own village. We also provide Breakfast and Lunch for all the children. The nutritious menu prepared by our 3 kitchen staff in consultation with Foundation’s Doctor’s.

The Foundation has 2 qualified medical Doctors on staff, who daily meet the medical needs of those families in our Care project plus the children in the school and other projects in Oradea , Tileagd and Gepiu.

The Social programme provides assistance for families to be properly registered with the authorities and know the options of support available to them. The Foundation also seeks to help with employment opportunities for those physically and mentally capable of working.

The Housing project has met a desperate need for many families who have seen the economic pressures of life in Romania get on top of them. Many, having been evicted, find refuge and security in one of the 27 residential houses owned by the Foundation, provided free for families otherwise facing life on the streets.

The Foundation uses the significant funds donated to its work as an investment in the people of Romania for whom the government cannot assist until it builds a strong infrastructure that can then, from a position of strength and wealth, better support the weak and poor.

With more than half a million pounds (sterling) invested in the current year, the Smiles Foundation is proving to be a Charity of significance – operating professionally under strong leadership and oversight from Europe and America and yet promoting the growth and responsibility within the Romanian people.

Smiles now employs 50 Romanian staff through its Romanian HQ in Cihei (just outside Oradea ) and at its satellite projects in Tileagd and Gepiu. By the year end, the number of employees is likely to rise to 60+.

To promote the needs and opportunities for support, Smiles also organises numerous visits each year from Europe and America . In the current calendar year, up to 300 people will visit the projects and pledge support both practically and financially as well as committing to promote the projects back home and increase financial support for the future accordingly.

As the Smiles Foundation looks to the future, it plans major developments with projects to meet the needs at the real heart of Romania ’s poor. In addition to the new Abandoned Children’s Home, Tileagd Complex of School, Clinic and Community centre and the proposed Home for the Elderly, Smiles will also engage in active programmes to create employment for locals.

The Foundation intends to build ‘work-shop’ style units to promote local enterprise and provide professional direction, skilled advice along with capital support and control for those who show the potential to do well in business and need a little help to get established.

The Smiles Foundation may be a comparatively lesser known Charity on the International stage, but the 1000+ people already benefiting from its daily work among the poorest and most disadvantaged of Romania – Smiles is a ‘life-saver’ and without question – is both saving and re-building lives on a daily basis.

The Smiles Foundation is a Charity with Vision, Ability, Resources and Determination to Succeed.

Success is seen daily in its work through a variety of standards and assessments, both externally and within the Foundation. However, in addition to people eating regularly, having a roof over their head, medical provision when sick, social assistance when in need – poor people through the Smiles Team in Romania have a friend they can rely on and that makes them Smile – that’s our Success.

Prepared: March 2005

By: Kevin D. Hoy

Chief Executive

The Smiles Foundation

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