Giurgiu: The Starting Point of Happiness Map

We didn’t set out to build a “map.” We just started going where the need was clear and the help had stopped coming.

Giurgiu was first. CTF Dunării , a group home for children. The staff work with dedication, often stretching the little they have to cover what’s needed. The basics were in place, but the spaces felt worn. The kind of wear that comes from too many years of making do.

They shared what they were missing, not in numbers or complaints, but in the quiet way people speak when they’ve stopped expecting much.

So we brought things that could help rebuild some of the everyday normalcy: sofas, a large shared table, wardrobes that close properly. We installed kitchen furniture, brought cookware, a mixer, a toaster. Not luxuries. Just things that make a place feel steady. Lived in. Considered.

We’ll keep going: one center a month. Always listening first. Always returning. Because the kind of care that matters doesn’t happen all at once. It stays. It adapts. It shows up again.

We call it the Happiness Map, but really, it’s just a way of marking the places we commit not to overlook.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

for the rights of all who are destitute.

Speak up and judge fairly;

defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

— Proverbs 31:8-9

OpenSoul Foundation, was here.