Following the successful model of the Hercules Day Center, the Hercules Association intends to open a new day center in a disadvantaged community in the Buftea city. The building for the new center will be constructed over the next two years by Habitat for Humanity partners, on land provided to the Hercules Association by the Buftea City Hall.
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The new community center will provide daily access to a hot meal, after-school programs and non-formal education activities for approximately 50 children. Over the course of a year, another 150 children will benefit from the center’s presence in the community. Saint-Gobain Foundation, Coface and Holcim Romania have joined the project with significant financial contributions and building materials.
The community center will serve two schools in Flămânzeni and Buciumeni – disadvantaged neighborhoods in Buftea, where poverty, conflict and difficult living conditions severely impact the development and education of children. Of the 350 children who attend these two schools, approximately 250 come from disadvantaged families. Most parents do not have a stable job and live off child allowances, social assistance or day labor.
The Buftea Center will be managed by the Hercules Association, which has been successfully running the Hercules Day Center in Costești, Argeș, since 2007.
,,The main objective of the Buftea Day Center is to prevent school dropout, improve academic performance and enhance the quality of life for the children in the community. In addition to a hot meal, over 50 children will benefit daily from homework assistance, psychological counseling, formal and non-formal educational activities that will help develop their intellectual, practical and life skills, helping them grow into moral, responsible and self-confident adults. Another 150 children will be involved in educational and recreational activities through community events”, said Petruța Stănescu, executive director of the Hercules Association, founder and coordinator of the Hercules Day Center in Costești, Argeș.
Built over the course of two years, the center will adhere to energy efficiency principles. Passive solutions will be used to minimize energy loss and consumption.
,,We’ve designed an energy-efficient building to keep maintenance costs as low as possible. This will allow the Hercules Association to direct the largest possible share of its raised funds toward educational programs. We hope other partners will join our efforts so we can inaugurate the center as soon as possible”, said Roberto Pătrășcoiu, national director of Habitat for Humanity Romania.
Another key group of beneficiaries for the new project will be the children's parents. They will participate as volunteers in maintaining the center's care and will have access to psychological and parental counseling, as well as personal development training: ranging from entrepreneurship and home economics to financial literacy and energy efficiency workshops.
,,A day center for children is a necessity in the Buftea community. In neighborhoods like Buciumeni and Flămânzeni, hundreds of families and children survive only thanks to social assistance. Because we care about the present and the future of the children in the community, we immediately said ”yes” to the proposal from the two partner NGOs – the Hercules Association and Habitat for Humanity Romania – to build a day center in the community and carry out educational and support projects for the children attending school”, said Gheorghe Pistol, mayor of Buftea..
An energy-efficient building
The Buftea community center is designed to meet energy efficiency principles. Passive solutions will be used to minimize energy losses and consumption. The most important of these is the compact shape of the building – the spaces are designed with optimal surfaces that will keep thermal transfers to a minimum. The rooms where the main activities will take place are oriented south to benefit from as much natural light as possible. The corridors, access to the yard, bathrooms and technical spaces, which require less heating, are oriented north. The building will function with a natural ventilation system, which will be implemented during construction. This will eliminate mechanical ventilation systems that add extra energy and maintenance costs.
Through partnerships with specialized manufacturers, Habitat for Humanity Romania will use products and materials that meet energy efficiency standards.
,,Energy efficiency translates into reduced maintenance and energy bills, as well as a significant improvement in living conditions, through comfort, performance and safety. And energy efficiency starts with the building materials used. We are delighted to contribute to the design of a high-performance building and the creation of a habitat conducive to the development of local children, through products, solutions, and services from the Saint-Gobain portfolio, while ensuring a sustainable future and a minimal environmental impact.” said Constantin Hariton, Deputy Delegate of the Saint-Gobain Group in Romania.
Construction of the Buftea community center will begin in September 2017. As with all projects carried out by Habitat for Humanity Romania and its partners, the work involved volunteers from abroad as well as from Romanian companies.
