Wherever we are, we hold dear our national identity and cherish our heritage. Our amazing community partners have incredible projects that make us proud of being Romanian:
Projects:
Fundatia Noi Orizonturi
Asociatia Monumentum
Fundaţia Comunitară Vȃlcea
Federaţia Fundaţiile Comunitare din Romania
Fundația Comunitară Țara Făgărașului
FB Fundraiser: raises money for heritage entrepreneurial projects led by kids in more than 30 communities from rural areas.
“We brag about the beauty of the Romanian countryside, but we forget that villages in the most attractive areas for tourists, with old fortresses, with protected natural parks, are depopulating because the locals no longer practice traditional economic activities and don't know (yet) how to replace them Children in such villages are encouraged and taught to leave the village for a better life. Their school doesn't prepare them for the development of their village or the city they would possibly end up in.
The New Horizons Foundation invites you to contribute to an educational program through which children and young people can learn that what they have in their village has immense value and that it can be used in the context of sustainable tourism (ecotourism) enjoying global growth again Romania is one of the few countries that still has traditional landscapes inhabited. It is a different school for rural students to fruit their passions for cultural or natural heritage in possible careers offered by ecotourism opportunities in Romania.
The goal of the campaign is to raise the necessary amounts to support 200 young people (13-19 years old) from 7 historical regions of Romania to learn to appreciate what they have at home, understand how they can value things that seem trivial to them and their they can put into practice project ideas through which they put their own community on the ecotourism map. In this ′′school′′ they learn by doing: Discover, Document and Share. Valorize and bring up to date and future activities and heritage that are endangered: the stays, the woven or built symbols, the forgotten places, the gastronomy of the place, the crafts. The amounts raised through this campaign will go entirely towards children's projects, in their communities.
*** The value of a youth project is approximately $250 and this year we want to support 40 youth projects from all over the country.“
FB fundraiser: raises money to rebuild the roof of Michael The Archangel Church in Gurasada, Hunedoara county, to preserve the endangered mural inside.
‘A handful of young people have proposed to save the monuments in Romania through volunteering. The medieval monument, the ′′Archangel Michael′′ church in Gurasada, Hunedoara County (XIII century) is among the oldest and most valuable Romanian monuments and is inscribed on the attempted list of world heritage from 2019, and putting it safely would increase the odds to be included in the definitive UNESCO heritage. The interior mural is one of the oldest paintings in Romania, but it is in great danger of degradation due to water infiltrations leaking through the damaged cover. The purpose of emergency intervention is to secure the roof by replacing shingles coverings, a special and expensive guy that would extend the life of the monument by 30-40 years awaiting a complete restoration. The intervention has an important educational purpose by sharing the ′′know-how′′ with volunteers and community and also spreading the model to other communities. The money will be used to buy materials, pay for craftsmen, accommodation and meals for volunteers.’
Raising money to map the traditional garb of Tara Fagarasului and Valcea counties:
Federaţia Fundaţiile Comunitare din Romania - FFCR
FB fundraiser: “Wherever we are in the world, we proudly keep and wear a grandparents home. Traditional port is an emblem of our identity, sewn shirts tell stories about who we are and where we come from. Today, these treasures of time risk losing their story. Young generations don't know their value, their reasons and cuts are taken over by the fashion industry and not only, without crediting and compensating for the communities they belong to. Artisans and craftsmen are competed by great retailers, the collaboration between stakeholders from cultural and creative industries is very poor in Romania. Furthermore, there is no legal framework and public policies to protect the immaterial cultural heritage, thereby favoring the practice of big brands to replicate and market elements of the traditional Romanian port, erasing its identity, origins and meaning.
Communities in Romania, together with civil society partners, started on a mission, in order to value, protect and promote the authenticity of the traditional port, but also to ensure its continuity, as well as preservation, recovery and transmission of traditional crafts. Join us
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The why behind the initiative
We're witnessing a rebirth of IEI, but we don't know where to find a genuine one to dress the kids for baptism or celebration. We know that the reasons stitched on tell a story, but we don't know how to decipher it anymore. We know that artisan s' work is important, but it's hard for us to identify them or get in touch with them. Help us to map the traditional port in communities in Romania, so we can travel #homelaorigini through the stories told and transmitted by ii, catrinces, bollocks, futs and costumes. As soon as we have the information caught in photo albums and maps, Romanians from the country and from the diaspora will be able to physically travel where there are collections, where there are crafts, museums or passionate people, to connect to the stories about their grandparents and great-grandparents. We will be able to pass these stories on to our children more easily. We will be able to convince foreign tourists to visit us for ′′ textile cultural tourism ". We will be able to show big brands the value and authenticity of Romanian models and textiles. And especially, we will be able to create collaboration networks that will carry on the Romanian cultural heritage and support the creators from behind.
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About the project
Together with the Association of La Blouse Roumaine IA, we started in 2020 an effort to map the popular port in Făgăraș country and Vâlcea county. It's a pilot project through which we aim to identify local communities that maintain traditions and pass on to future generations, identify and photograph the traditional port and textiles in these communities, identify the artisans, craftsmen and craftsmen who are still working, make photo albums Local and regional to value the authenticity and stories behind the traditional Romanian port. In the long term, this documentary approach aims to contribute to the development of the ′′ National Register of Traditional Port ", a project proposed by the Association La Blouse Roumaine IA, aimed at creating a platform to identify and protect cultural expressions and knowledge traditional, as well as when creating a network of cultural and heritage communities in Romania. We want to inspire as many communities as possible in this endeavor.
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The objective of this fundraiser
We have already done photo shoots in 24 communities in Făgarasului Country and 10 communities in Vâlcea County (with the support of community foundations), we have 60.000 photos and dozens of documented stories. We estimate this volunteer effort from 2020 to $ 30,000 (work of nine photographers, coordinators, community leaders, transportation and other project costs).
We need more in 2021 to continue mapping work and creating an online map (in 10 other communities in Făgăraș and Vâlcea) to create the design of a local and regional photo album in both areas for keep documenting stories, map artisans, and to make these albums in digital format. We hope to have two offline events (online streaming) dedicated to releasing the albums.
The albums will contain professional photos of the people of the place dressed in traditional area port, stories and stories associated with traditional port kept in memory of those who own them, archive photos, details of fiber, materials, colors, techniques, motifs and meaning, artisan profiles and craftsmen specializing in making local traditional port, information about local museums, private collections, etc. In making albums, communities will collaborate with experts in cultural heritage, port and traditional textiles, encouraging partnerships with specialized institutions.
If you want to stay connected with us about the development of the project, you can leave your contact details here.
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′′ Home to Origini ′′ is a project created and initiated by the Association La blouse roumaine IA, implemented locally and regionally in partnership with the Federation of Community Foundations in Romania.
The credits of the pictures from the visual, in the order of clockwise, return to: David Botond, Alexandru Petrescu and Dan Strauti.
About the Federation of Community Foundations in Romania
The Federation of Community Foundations of Romania (FFCR) was founded in 2012 and is intended to represent nationwide the interests of the Community Foundations in Romania which adopt, respect the mission, objectives, principles and standards of FFCR. The objectives are to cultivate and develop strategic philanthropy locally; to support actors interested in investing in their community; to contribute to creating a society with socially responsible individuals and having philanthropic behaviour, interested in their community development and to promote it balanced, respectful and mutual benefit collaboration between individuals, nonprofit sector, business environment and public institutions.
The Federation supports 19 community foundations summing up over 7000 projects and 35 million lei in community investment. Currently more than 52 % of Romania's population has access to a community foundation and the network is constantly growing. More details can be found on https://ffcr.ro/.
About the Community Foundation Făgărașului
The Community Foundation Făgăraș country was legally established as a non-governmental organization in June 2013. As an independent organization, the foundation is equidistantly compared to companies, institutions or political formations in the community. FCTF works as a mechanism for identifying needs, but also opportunities, proposes strategies, creates the environment for community support and development and pursues public benefit in its activity. FCTF's role is to stimulate philanthropic role, to bring together local and national resources, in order to raise private funds to support projects in Făgăraș Country.
The Community Foundation Făgăraș Country aims to serve all urban and rural communities in Făgăraș, as well as other settlements in the adjacent areas. The number of residents who can benefit from the assistance and programs of the Foundation is estimated at 145.000 people. The cities and villages that FCTF serves are: Beclean, Bunesti, Puța, Cincu, Comăna, Dragușuș, Dumbrăvița, Făgaraș, Hârșani, Hoghiz, Homorod, Jibert, Lisa, Proud, Părăruu, Poiana Mărului, Cincaoș, Sus, Șerca, Șricaia , New Shinca, Shoarș, Ticusu, Ucea, Ungra, Victoria, Viștetea, Voila and Zărnești. More details can be found on https://fundatiactf.ro/.
About the Valcea Community Foundation
Vâlcea Community Foundation entered the family of community foundations in the country in July 2019. It is a local institution that aims to restore confidence and cooperation between all community wheels, to provide resources, inspire and to mobilize: NGOs, initiative groups , companies, individuals, administrative institutions - thus contributing to the development of the vâlcene community.
The mission of the foundation is to be a landmark in Vâlcean society, a dynamic partner who supports local initiatives by connecting resources with community development projects. The Vâlcea Community Foundation intends to serve all urban and rural communities in Vâlcea County, and the number of residents who can benefit from the assistance and programs of the Foundation is estimated at 370.000 people. More details can be found on https://fundatiacomunitaravalcea.ro/.
About La Blouse Roumaine IA Association
The La Blouse Roumaine IA Association was founded in 2016 to support La Blouse Roumaine's online community efforts to promote, protect and value IA, shirt, port and traditional Romanian textiles, in universal and contemporary context.
In 2013 the La Blouse Roumaine community initiated the Universal Day of Ia, on June 24, with the feast of Midsummer and Saint John of Summer, connecting Romanians from 6 continents, 50 countries and over 100 of municipalities around you also take cultural heritage. In 2017 the Association started the international Give Credit campaign that advocates for recognition of cultural origin and promotes ethical and sustainable cooperation between artisans and global creative industries.
The mission of the La Blouse Roumaine IA Association is to contribute to the development and progress of the Romanian communities in the country and abroad, through the preservation of cultural heritage, the revaluation of traditional knowledge and the stimulation of local creativity and cultural design. More details can be found on www.lablouseroumaine.io.’
Fundația Comunitară Țara Făgărașului
FB fundraiser: The credits of the pictures from the visual, in the order of clockwise, go back to: David Botond, Artographica, Dan Strauti.
Fundaţia Comunitară Vȃlcea 
FB fundraiser: The credits of the pictures from the visual, in the order of clockwise, return to: Alexandru Petrescu Alexandru Petrescu Mihaela Dinca.
RUF Matching Heritage Campaign
Learn more about our Heritage
Oɴʟʏ ɪɴ Mᴀʀᴄʜ!
Cʀᴇᴀᴛᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ғᴜɴᴅʀᴀɪsᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ RUF ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜᴇs ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ $10,000
100 ғᴜɴᴅʀᴀɪsᴇʀs ᴡʜᴏ ɪɴᴠɪᴛᴇ 100 ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴀɪsᴇ $100, ᴡɪʟʟ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ ᴀ $100 ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ!
Let’s Cherish Our Heritage!
The organizations participating are:
Fundatia Noi Orizonturi: https://www.facebook.com/donate/130964592187876/?fundraiser_source=external_url
Federaţia Fundaţiile Comunitare din România - FFCR: https://www.facebook.com/donate/473625850648353/
Asociatia Monumentum: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1140427259727453/
Fundaţia Comunitară Vȃlcea: https://www.facebook.com/donate/924948921662618/
Fundația Comunitară Țara Făgărașului: https://www.facebook.com/donate/439735270618442/
Special credit and many thanks to Mugur Kreiss, a romanian architect and interior designer who graciously allowed us to use his wonderful Romanian traditional house sketch as our campaign image.
